Instead of hitting the beach, fourteen high school students traded swimming suits for lab coats last summer and turned their attention to scientific experiments.

     The High School Research Program offers high school students guidance with researchers in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Jennifer Funkhouser, academic adviser for the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, directs this four-week summer program designed to increase understanding of research and its career potential.

Several considerations go into selecting students, including grades, school involvement and interest in science and agriculture. And many students come from poorer school districts, Funkhouser says, “This is their chance to learn techniques and do experiments they never would have a chance to do in high school.”

    Warner Ervin of Houston is interested in animal science and learned how to tell male from female mosquitoes(蚊子).His adviser, Craig Coates, studies the genes of mosquitoes that allow them to fight against malaria and yellow fever. Coates thought this experience would be fun and helpful to the high school students.

       The agricultural research at A&M differs from stereotypes. It’s “molecular(分子)science on the cutting edge,” Funkhouser says. The program broadened students’ knowledge. Victor Garcia of Rio Grande City hopes to become a biology teacher and says he learned a lot about chemistry from the program.

     At the end of the program, the students presented papers on their research. They’re also paid $600 for their work-another way this program differs from others, which often charge a fee.

     Fourteen students got paid to learn that science is fun, that agriculture is a lot more than milking and plowing and that research can open many doors.

1.The research program is chiefly designed for  _______.

A. high school advisers from Houston

B. college students majoring in agriculture

C. high school students from different places

D. researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

2.It can be inferred from the text that the students in poorer areas  ___________ .

A. had little chance to go to college

B. could often take part in the program

C. found the program useful to their future

D. showed much interest in their high school experiments

3.When the program was over, the students  ________.

A. entered that college            B. wrote research reports

C. paid for their research           D. found way to make money

4.The underlined expression “on the cutting edge” in paragraph 5 means “on the most  ___ position”.

A. important                     B. favorable

C. astonishing                   D. advanced

 

Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.

Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.

In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober(清醒的) enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.

One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve!!” Startled, he turned to look at her.

“Pay attention!”

Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration (青春期的爱慕), as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.

“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.

“...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”

She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.

 After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.

“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.

“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing fazed him.

“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.

“Steve! Please! I care about you!”

Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!

Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench(恶臭) was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.

The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.

Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn’t resist another look at the lovely woman.

Miss White’s face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!

From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!

He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.

After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor(副教授) in a nearby college。

Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.

You see, it’s simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.

1.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A.Steve would give up schooling forever.

B.Steve was at a loss about improving his study.

C.Being unhappy both in school and at home, Steve intended to end his own life.

D.Due to his poor study, Steve was about to be expelled from his school.

2.What made Steve change greatly all of a sudden?

A.Miss White’s encouragement             B.Miss White’s praise

C.knowing Miss White concerned him         D.Miss White’s persuasion

3.What might be the best title for this passage?

A.A boy loves his teacher                   B.The difference a teacher can make

C.A great teacher                         D.Please care about your students

 

 

第二部分阅读理解(共两节,满分50分)

第一节:阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并将答案写在答题卡上。(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)

A

O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.

41. In which order did O. Henry do the following things?

a. Lived in New York.   b. Worked in a bank.        c. Travelled to Texas.

d. Was put in prison.    e. Had a newspaper job.      f. Learned to write stories.

A. e. c. f. b. d. a       B. e. b. d. c. a. f.        C. c. e. b. d. f. a    D. c. b. e. d. a f.

42. O. Henry went to prison because ___________.

A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper

B. people thought he had taken money that was not his

C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners

D. he broke the law by not using his own name

43. What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?

A. He was very good at learning.                     B. He was not serious about his work.

C. He was devoted to the poor.                  D. He was well-educated.

44. Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?

A. His life inside the prison.                  B. The newspaper articles he wrote.

C. His exciting early life as a boy.       D. The city and people of New York.

 

Many of us assume that with such a last name, Peter Buffett, 52, must enjoy a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor (投资人) Warren Buffett definitely doesn’t think so.

   “People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim (受害者) to what my father has called a silver dagger (匕首) in your back,” Buffett told Reuters in an interview. “It leads to a sense of entitlement (特权) and a lack of personal achievement.”

  Entitlement, he believes, is the worst thing ever. “Anybody who acts like they deserve (应得) something ‘just because’ is a disaster,” he said.

  In his new book, Life Is What You Make It: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents was a philosophy (价值观): Forge your own path in life. It is a belief that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap (收获) his own successes.

  Did his father ever want him to go into finance? “It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea,” he told Reuters. But as he grew older, it became clear the financial world “was not speaking to my heart.”

   His father accepted his choice to become a musician. He began his musical career by writing music for TV commercials (广告). He then released his own albums.

   “I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life,” he told Reuters. “This isn’t about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing.”

   Along with the book, Buffett has begun a “Concert & Conversation” tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist (消费主义) culture and damaging the environment.

   “Economic prosperity (繁荣) may come and go; that’s just how it is,” he writes in the book. “But values are the steady currency (硬通货) that earn us the all-important rewards.”

1. What does “It” in the second paragraph refer to?

  A. A life of a top investor.          B. A silver spoon in the mouth.

  C. Being born to a wealthy family.  D. The victim of a silver dagger in the back.

2. What does the article tell us?

  A. Peter Buffett is a born musician.

  B. Peter Buffett enjoys a hugely privileged life.

  C. A wealthy family can benefit a child but also spoil him or her.

  D. Peter Buffett was forced by his parents to take over their business.

3. The article claims that Peter Buffett owes his achievements largely to ______.

  A. his passion for music      B. the good education he received

  C. his great determination        D. the values he learned from his parents

4. Which of the following statements would Peter Buffett probably agree to?

  A. Wealth is there to enjoy to the fullest.

  B. A person’s value lies within.

  C. Many people are fooled by economic prosperity.

  D. Young people should choose their own philosophy, whatever their parents believe in.

 

 

完形填空(共20小题;每小题1. 5分,满分30分)

请阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从下列各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D中),选出最佳选项。

     Mike has loved flying since he was small. When he was three years old, his father took him to an air show. Mike loved the sounds of the plane, he ___36__ of becoming and airplane pilot(飞行员) someday. As Mike grew up, he learned as ___37___ as he could about flying. He wanted to go to flying school ___38___ university. He kept on ___39___ his parents about it all the time. At that time, pilot training was very ___40___. Mike’s parents couldn’t afford it.

Later Mike became a salesman. He hoped to get lots of money for flying school. He traveled ___41___ America for his factory. He liked to travel, ___42___ by plane. To save money, he usually stayed in cheap hotels.

One morning, Mike __43___ to Altanta. On the plane, after breakfast, he went to ___44___. Some time later, he woke up. The two men beside him were talking in a ___45___ voice. When Mike heard the word “hijack(劫持)”, he nearly __46___ out of his seat, but he pretended(假装) he was still ___47___ . he listened when the two men talked. Mike quickly learned what was ___48___. They planned to hijack the plane to Cuba. This made Mike very ___49____. He knew he had to stop them before they began their ___50____.

Mike pretended to use the washroom. On the way he met a hostess(空姐) and told her about the coming___51____. A moment later, the passengers were told that there was something wrong with the plane. Soon he plane landed at the ___52___ airport.

The two men received a __53___ when they saw twenty police officers were ___54___ them at the airport.

Later Mike was given free flying training as a reward. __55__ he became a pilot and flew happily ever since. Now his story is well known in the United States.

1.

A.spoke

B.heard

C.dreamed

D.thought

 

2.

A.little

B.much

C.easily

D.quickly

 

3.

A.as well as

B.such as

C.because of

D.instead of

 

4.

A.warning

B.talking

C.asking

D.complaining

 

5.

A.expensive

B.cheap

C.difficult

D.enjoyable

 

6.

A.along

B.towards

C.through

D.around

 

7.

A.never

B.widely

C.except

D.especially

 

8.

A.flew

B.came

C.moved

D.drove

 

9.

A.work

B.sleep

C.rest

D.bed

 

10.

A.loud

B.nervous

C.low

D.serious

 

11.

A.ran

B.walked

C.jumped

D.dropped

 

12.

A.awake

B.asleep

C.quiet

D.careless

13.A saying     B. changing  C. discussing  D. happening

14.

A.sad

B.angry

C.painful

D.careful

 

15.

A.plan

B.story

C.challenge

D.accident

 

16.

A.danger

B.trouble

C.flying

D.training

 

17.

A.safest

B.biggest

C.nearest

D.farthest

 

18.

A.surprise

B.welcome

C.message

D.present

 

19.

A.looking for

B.waiting for

C.asking for

D.talking about

 

20.

A.So

B.Since

C.Though

D.Then

 

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