In a growing number of English classes, teachers are leaving the classic novels on the shelf and letting students select the books they read. Supporters say that the new approach, called reader’s workshop, helps develop a love for reading in students who are bored by classic literature. They argue that the best way to motivate students to read more is to offer them more choices.
Not all educators are on the same page, however. They worry that students who choose trendy, less challenging titles over the classics won’t be exposed to the great writing and key themes of important works of literature.
Student reporters Donald and Sarah express their ideas about this new approach.
Donald thinks that we should turn the page. Students should be allowed to select the books they read in English class. He says he and his classmates are allowed to pick their own books in class. That makes them more focused, and they look forward to class time. Tristin, a classmate of his at Clinton Middle School agrees. “I’m reading books that I want to read, which makes class more fun and interesting,” he says. Offering students a choice may also improve test scores. Studies by Professor John Guthrie of the University of Maryland found that students in grades 4 through 6 who had some choices in the books they read showed improved reading comprehension skills during testing. Giving students the chance to decide what they read helps build a lifelong love for reading. Isn’t that what we want for our students?
Sarah holds a different view. She thinks teachers know more about books than students do. When an English teacher assigns a book, he or she keeps in mind the reading level of most students in the class. Students who choose their own books might be cheating themselves by picking books that are not up to their reading level or that are too difficult. Furthermore, a whole class can discuss a book it reads together. That makes it easier for some kids to understand what they are reading. “The students wouldn’t be able to hold a meaningful conversation if they were all reading different books,” says Kristin, an English teacher at Fleetwood Area Middle School. “If they read the same book, their conversations would be more in-depth.”
【小题1】What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “Not all educators are on the same page”?

Claude and Louris are “giraffes”.So are police officers Hankins and Pearson.These men and women don’t look like giraffes；they look like you and me.Then，why do people call them “giraffes”？

　 A giraffe，they say，is an animal that sticks its necks out，can see places far away and has a large heart.It lives a quiet life and moves about in an easy and beautiful way.In the same way，a “giraffe” can be a person who likes to “stick his or her neck out” for other people，always watches for future happenings，has a warm heart for people around，and at the same time lives a quiet and beautiful life himself or herself.

　 “The Giraffe Project” is a 10?year?old group which finds and honors “giraffes” in the US and in the world.The group wants to teach people to do something to build a better world.The group members believe that a person shouldn’t draw his or her head back；instead，they tell people to “stick their necks out” and help others.Claude and Louris，Hankins and Pearson are only a few of the nearly 1,000 “giraffes” that the group found and honored.

　 Claude and Louris were getting old and they left their work with some money that they saved for future use.One day，however，they saw a homeless man looking for a place to keep warm and they decided that they should “stick their necks out” and give him some help.Today，they lived in Friends’ House，where they invite twelve homeless people to stay every night.

　 Police officers Hankins and Pearson work in a large city.They see crimes every day and their work is sometimes dangerous.They work hard for their money.However，these two men put their savings together and even borrowed money to start an educational center to teach young people in a poor part of the city.Hankins and Pearson are certainly “giraffes”.

1.Which of the following is true?

　 A.Some of the people around us look like giraffes.

　 B.Giraffes are the most beautiful animal in the world.

　 C.“Giraffes” is a beautiful name for those who are ready to help other people.

　 D.A “giraffe” is someone who can stick his neck out and see the future.

2.“The Giraffe Project” is a group 　　　　.

　 A.of police officers　　　　　　　 B.which appeared ten years ago

　 C.of ten?year?old children　　　　 D.which takes care of children

3.People call Claude and Hankins “giraffes” because they 　　　　.

　 A.do what is needed for a good world

　 B.are not afraid of dangerous work

　 C.found a home for some homeless people

　 D.made money only for other people

4.What does “The Giraffe Project” do?

　 A.It tells people how to live a quiet life.

　 B.It helps the homeless and teaches the young people.

　 C.It tries to find 1,000 warm?hearted people in the US.

　 D.It shows people what their duty is for a better world.

5.The passage mainly tries to tell us 　　　　.

　 A.what giraffes are like

　 B.what the Giraffe Project is

　 C.why Claude，Louris，Hankins and Pearson are called “giraffes”

　 D.what we should do for a better world

10－year－old John ran bare foot out of the door on a windy, cold day in February and he __1__ straight for the 125－foot electric tower behind their home. The tower carried 230,000 volts through its silver wires but John wasn't __2__ of the danger. He had suffered from a mental illness, a condition that separates him from reality，__3__ him to live within his own __4__. That day his thoughts were set on climbing to the top of that tower, touching the sky and feeling what it was like to __5__.

His seventeen－year－old brother, James, who had always been close by, watching him and making sure that no __6__ came to him，__7__ to realize that he was missing this time.

John had already __8__ the handrails(栏杆) and was making his __9__ to the sky by the time James __10__ him. James understood the __11__ of the electrical tower but he chose to follow his younger brother up each gray rail, trying not to look __12__，all the way to the top. James finally __13__ his brother and held him tightly with his right hand. With his left hand, he held on to a metal bar to help stabilize(固定) them __14__.

The minutes lengthened into hours __15__ they balanced on a three－inch rail. James sang songs to __16__ his own beating heart and to draw his brother's attention away from the rescue action taking place __17__.

Hundreds of people gathered at the base of the tower and they looked like ants to James. Helicopters(直升飞机) began to circle overhead and emergency trucks rushed to the __18__.When secured with a safety line, the brothers and their rescuers were carefully lowered to the ground, the crowd below burst out __19__. They witnessed the __20__ of a 17－year－old boy named James.

1. A. looked  B. headed  C. cared  D. sent

2. A. aware         B. proud         C. sure           D. afraid

3. A. teaching      B. allowing      C. coaching       D. forcing

4. A. words         B. opinions      C. thoughts       D. ideas

5. A. run           B. fly           C. rush           D. walk

6. A. harm          B. wound         C. fear           D. damage

7. A. refused       B. headed        C. pretended      D. failed

8. A. removed            B. cleared      

C. overcome           D. occupied

9. A. way           B. trip          C. tour           D. journey

10. A. caught       B. saved         C. found          D. recognized

11. A. usage        B. danger        C. effect         D. height

12. A. left         B. right         C. up             D. down

13. A. reached      B. touched       C. fetched        D. found

14. A. either       B. both          C. all            D. each

15. A. before       B. till          C. where          D. as

16. A. stop         B. rest          C. calm           D. resist

17. A. below        B. nearby        C. ahead          D. around

18. A. land         B. space         C. center         D. scene

19. A. cries        B. cheers        C. laughter       D. shouts

20. A. carefulness       B. friendliness 

C. braveness        D. unselfishness

In a growing number of English classes, teachers are leaving the classic novels on the shelf and letting students select the books they read. Supporters say that the new approach, called reader’s workshop, helps develop a love for reading in students who are bored by classic literature. They argue that the best way to motivate students to read more is to offer them more choices.

Not all educators are on the same page, however. They worry that students who choose trendy, less challenging titles over the classics won’t be exposed to the great writing and key themes of important works of literature.

Student reporters Donald and Sarah express their ideas about this new approach.

Donald thinks that we should turn the page. Students should be allowed to select the books they read in English class. He says he and his classmates are allowed to pick their own books in class. That makes them more focused, and they look forward to class time. Tristin, a classmate of his at Clinton Middle School agrees. “I’m reading books that I want to read, which makes class more fun and interesting,” he says. Offering students a choice may also improve test scores. Studies by Professor John Guthrie of the University of Maryland found that students in grades 4 through 6 who had some choices in the books they read showed improved reading comprehension skills during testing. Giving students the chance to decide what they read helps build a lifelong love for reading. Isn’t that what we want for our students?

Sarah holds a different view. She thinks teachers know more about books than students do. When an English teacher assigns a book, he or she keeps in mind the reading level of most students in the class. Students who choose their own books might be cheating themselves by picking books that are not up to their reading level or that are too difficult. Furthermore, a whole class can discuss a book it reads together. That makes it easier for some kids to understand what they are reading. “The students wouldn’t be able to hold a meaningful conversation if they were all reading different books,” says Kristin, an English teacher at Fleetwood Area Middle School. “If they read the same book, their conversations would be more in-depth.”

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “Not all educators are on the same page”?

A．Educators have different opinions.          B．Educators didn’t appear at the same time.

C．Educators wrote in different pages.          D．Educators didn’t agree with the author.

2.Donald thinks that the new approach could __________.

A．helped students be more focused in class

B．draw students to reading classic novels

C．make students less worried in English class

D．encourage students to red more challenging books

3.Sarah thinks that the new approach might __________.

A．help students improve reading comprehension skills

B．help students hold meaningful conversations in class

C．make some students read books not suitable for them

D．make some students ignore the important works of literature

4.Who has the same attitude towards the new approach with Kristin?

A．Donald.           B．Sarah.            C．Tristin.            D．John Guthrie.

5.The author develops the text mainly by __________.

A．listing cases                            B．making comparisons

C．following time order                     D．explaining causes and effects

Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．
After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．
When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”
Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”
Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．
【小题1】The passage is mainly about