It was lucky to have a teacher at home. Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.

It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke(中风) and she went steadily downhill after that.

Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.

After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.

“Whirr,” she said weakly.

“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.

Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”

It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”

Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.

1.When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?

A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.

B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.

C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.

D. She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.

2.Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A. Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.

B.Mom was always making her teaching fun.

C.Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.

D.Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.

3.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. Once a teacher, always… B. Mom’s will

C. A teacher’s life D. A teacher’s story

Newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking. And, compared to adults, they develop these skills more quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but babies have the ability to learn any language easily.

For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn the complicated grammatical rules and sounds of a language. Now, researchers are getting a better idea of what’s happening in the brains of the tiniest language learners. This new information might help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.

Most babies go “ma ma” by 6 months of age, and most children speak in full sentences by age 3. For many years, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With help from new technologies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language. They get into contact with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear most often.

Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world. Starting at around 6 months old a baby’s brain focuses on the most common sounds it hears. Then, children begin responding only to the sounds of the language they hear the most.

In a similar way older babies start recognizing the patterns that make up the rules of their native language. For example, English children who are about 18 months old start to figure out that words ending in “-ing” or “-ed” are usually verbs, and that verbs are action words.

1.The new research in the second paragraph can be helpful in _____.

A. finding successful language learners

B. teaching kids with learning problems

C. designing human-shaped computers

D. improving babies’ language ability

2. The researchers found out that babies learn a language mainly by _____.

A. repeating the words of other people

B. remembering the full sentences they hear

C. hearing and closely watching others speak

D. figuring out the meaning of different sounds

3.The purpose of the text is to _____.

A. discuss B. educate

C. inform D. Entertain

完形填空

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

If you want to learn a new language, the very first thing to think about is why. Do you need it for a ________reason, such as your job or your studies? ________ perhaps you’re interested in the ________, films or music of a different country and you know it will help a lot to have a ________ of the language.

Most people learn best using a variety of ________, but traditional classes are an ideal (理想的) start for many people. They ________ an environment where you can practice under the ________ of someone who’s good at the language. We all lead ________ lives and learning a language takes ________ . You will have more success if you study regularly, so try to develop a ________ . It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long. Becoming fluent in a language will take years, but knowing about it takes ________ .

Many people start learning a language and soon give up. “I’m too ________, ” they say. Yes, children do learn languages more ________ than adults,but research has shown that you can learn a language at any ________ . And learning is good for the health of your brain too. I’ve also heard people ________ about the mistakes they make when ________ . Well, relax and laugh about your mistakes ________ you’re much less likely to make them again.

Learning a new language is never ________ . But with some work and devotion, you’ll make progress. And you’ll be ________ by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ________ own language. Good luck!

1.A. practical B. physical C. political D. cultural

2.A. Though B. After C. Or D. So

3.A. agriculture B. literature C. transport D. medicine

4.A. view B. form C. database D. knowledge

5.A. principles B. methods C. paintings D. computers

6.A. respect B. protect C. provide D. change

7.A. command B. guidance C. control D. pressure

8.A. simple B. busy C. normal D. happy

9.A. courage B. energy C. place D. time

10.A. habit B. project C. business D. design

11.A. a lot less B. a lot more C. some notes D. some risks

12.A. weak B. nervous C. tired D. old

13.A. privately B. quietly C. quickly D. closely

14.A. distance B. age C. speed D. school

15.A. quarrel B. think C. worry D. debate

16.A. learning B. bargaining C. singing D. working

17.A. but B. before C. if D. and

18.A. easy B. hard C. tiresome D. interesting

19.A. devoted B. deserved C. amazed D. blamed

20.A. our B. their C. your D. His

I always experienced guilt when I passed by without giving a coin or two to a beggar.

My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side café. Outside the café was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the crowds drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman.

A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman’s cup. He did this rather ostentatiously(炫耀地), just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman’s cup.

The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer (同伴)pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, “I hope that helps a bit.”

I don’t know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman’s cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an act of caring.

1.The backpacker placed some money in the woman’s cup rather ostentatiously because______.

A. he wanted to stop the tourists by doing this

B. he wanted people to know that he was rich and kind

C. he wanted to help the woman by himself

D. he wanted the tourist group to follow him

2.The author went to a quiet canal-side cafe to_______ .

A. avoid meeting the beggar

B. get away from the crowds

C. take a rest

D. watch the woman beggar

3.We can infer from the passage that ________ .

A. tourists can be cheated by beggars

B. people usually have pity on an old beggar

C. tourists are willing to help beggars

D. people can do kind acts due to peer pressure

4.Before the backpacker dropped some money in the woman’s cup, the tourists ______ .

A. all showed pity for the woman

B. didn’t notice the woman

C. walked by without giving any money

D. gave a little money to the woman

Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter a station.

Once inside,the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats,a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later,milking is complete. The gate is opened,the cow is released and the next cow enters.

The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day. The cows get to decide when they want to be milked. Cows are milked an average of about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day.

The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.

The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.

Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers. She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still,she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.

Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars. The second costs 150,000 dollars.

Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot. He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.

1.According to Doug,what is the wage of an employee per year?

A.$150,000~$175,000. B.$150,000~$30,000.

C.$30,000~$35,000. D.over $75,000.

2.Besides milking cows,the robotic system also can ________.

A.judge the quality of fresh milk

B.keep fresh milk for two weeks

C.adjust the temperature of milking stations

D.improve the appetite of cows

3.Why is the robotic system not popular now?

A.Because it usually causes the waste of milk.

B.Because it is difficult to learn how to use it.

C.Because young people have no interest in it.

D.Because people can't afford to buy it.

4.From the first paragraph,we can infer ________.

A.cows can be raised by robots in the future

B.robots direct cows into milking stations

C.the robotic system is designed to reduce labor

D.cows are kept clean by robots on some farms

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