Many of us have heard stories about teachers who can “see” into a student’s future. Even if a student is not performing well, they can predict success. We are convinced that this ability, this gift, is evidence that they were “called to teach.” If the gift of sight is evidence, how greater must be the gift of touch. I have a story.

I grew up in the fifties in a poor African American neighborhood in Stockton, California, that had neither sidewalks nor an elementary school. Each day, always in groups at our parents’ insistence, my friends and I would leave home early enough to walk eight blocks to school and be in our seats when the bell rang. For four blocks, we walked on dusty roads. By the fifth block, we walked on sidewalks that led to lovely homes and to Fair Oaks Elementary School. It was at Fair Oaks, in a sixth grade English class, that I met Ms. Victoria Hunter, a teacher who had a huge influence on my life.

During reading periods, she would walk around the room, stop at our desks, stand over us for a second or two, and then touch us. Without saying anything to us (nothing could break the silence of reading periods), she would place two fingers lightly on our throats and hold them there for seconds. I learned many years later when I was a student at Stanford University that teachers touch the throat of students to check for sub-vocalization (默读), which slows down the reading speed. I did not know at the time why Ms. Hunter was touching our throats, but I was a serious and respectful student and so, during silent reading period, I did what Ms. Hunter told us to do. I kept my eyes on the material I was reading and waited for her to place her fingers lightly on my throat.

One day, out of curiosity, I raised my head from my book — though not high — so that I could see Ms. Hunter, a white woman from Canada, moving up and down the rows, stopping at the desks of my classmates. I wanted to see how they reacted when she touched their throats. She walked past them. I was confused. Did she pass them by because they were model students? What did we, the students who were touched, not do right? I sat up straighter in my chair, thinking that my way of sitting might be the problem. I was confused. Several days later, I watched again, this time raising my head a little higher. Nothing changed. Ms. Hunter touched the same students. Always, she touched me.

She touched me with her hands. She also touched me with her belief in my ability to achieve. She motivated me by demanding the best from me and by letting teachers I would meet in junior high school know that I should be challenged, that I would be serious about my work. I am convinced that she touched me because she could “see” me in the future. That was true of all of us at Fair Oaks who sat still and silent as Ms. Hunter placed her fingers lightly on our throats. We left Fair Oaks as “best students,” entered John Marshall Junior High School, finished at the top of our high school class, and went on to earn graduate degrees in various subjects. Ms. Hunter saw us achieving and she touched us to make certain that we would.

I was not surprised that she came to my graduation ceremony at Edison High School in Stockton or that she talked to me about finishing college and earning a Ph. D. She expected that of me. She gave me a beautifully wrapped box. Inside was a gift, the beauty of which multiplies even as it touches me: a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life.

1.According to the writer, what is a special ability many good teachers possess?

A. The ability to make all students behave well.

B. The ability to treat different students in the same way.

C. The ability to discover a student’s potential to succeed.

D. The ability to predict the near future of a poor student.

2.When she saw Ms. Hunter walk past some students without touching their throats, the writer felt ______.

A. disturbed????????????? B. puzzled????????????? C. ashamed????????????? D. annoyed

3.What does the writer mean by “a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life” (paragraph 6)?

A. A gift which encourages me to do well on the journey of my life.

B. A gift which becomes more and more valuable as time goes by.

C. A necklace which I wear on all important occasions in my life.

D. A necklace which suits me and adds to my charm.

4.Which of the following serves as the best title for the story?

A. Ms. Hunter’s Surprise????????????? B. Ms. Hunter’s Challenge

C. A Teacher’s Touch? ????????????? D. A Teacher’s Memory

One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are.

When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different -- we cry out for something better. That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that’s ingrained（根深蒂固的）in our culture.

The root of unhappiness is that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place. We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, as it just is.”

An example: in my recent post（帖子）, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind, quite a few commentators thought my outlook was negative, pessimistic, or fatalistic（听天由命的）... because I said you should expect people to mess up, expect things to go differently from what you planned. Above all, you should embrace that.

It’s too negative to expect something to go wrong, they said. However, I think it’s only negative if you see it as negative, or if you judge it as bad.

Instead, you could accept it as the way the world works -- as the way things actually are. And try to understand why they are that way.

Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But changing things is not because you can’t accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of change of learning and growing.

Can we make this world a better place? Again, that’s an assumption that it’s a bad place fight now. But instead, you could say the world is just what it is -- and that’s neither good nor bad. You can say that you’ll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world -- not because you’re such a bad person now, but because that’s the path you choose to take, because you enjoy that path.

As you catch yourself judging, and wishing for different -- try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results.

1. Which of the following statements is correct according to the author?

    A. We can never change things because we can’t accept them.

    B. We shouldn’t try to do whatever we can to help others and make a difference.

    C. It’s wrong of you to expect things to go differently.

    D. There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

2. What’s the main idea of the whole passage?

    A. The world is a good place for us to live in.

    B. Unhappiness comes from what we want to be different.

    C. You might as well accept the world as it is and try to embrace it.

    D. Let’s make the world more beautiful.

3.Where does the passage probably come from?

    A. A novel.       B. A news story.      C. A travel guide.     D. A magazine.

One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are.
When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different -- we cry out for something better. That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that’s ingrained（根深蒂固的）in our culture.
The root of unhappiness is that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place. We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, as it just is.”
An example: in my recent post（帖子）, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind, quite a few commentators thought my outlook was negative, pessimistic, or fatalistic（听天由命的）... because I said you should expect people to mess up, expect things to go differently from what you planned. Above all, you should embrace that.
It’s too negative to expect something to go wrong, they said. However, I think it’s only negative if you see it as negative, or if you judge it as bad.
Instead, you could accept it as the way the world works -- as the way things actually are. And try to understand why they are that way.
Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But changing things is not because you can’t accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of change of learning and growing.
Can we make this world a better place? Again, that’s an assumption that it’s a bad place fight now. But instead, you could say the world is just what it is -- and that’s neither good nor bad. You can say that you’ll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world -- not because you’re such a bad person now, but because that’s the path you choose to take, because you enjoy that path.
As you catch yourself judging, and wishing for different -- try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results.
【小题1】 Which of the following statements is correct according to the author?

 In times of economic crisis, Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.

　　We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932, when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929. But this doesn’t mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

　　Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

　　After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities. A 1940 book “The Unemployed Man and His Family”, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work.” He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.

　　The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain. Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.

　　Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.

　　Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we’ll begin to see just how many broken families have been created.

1.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to __________.

A. tear many troubled families apart

B. bring about a drop in the divorce rate

C. contribute to enduring family ties

D. cause a lot of conflicts in the family

2.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose to stick together because_______.

A. starting a new family would be hard

B. they expected things would turn better

C. they wanted to better protect their kids

D. living separately would be too costly

3.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?

A. Mounting family debts

B. A sense of insecurity

C. Falling housing prices

D. Difficulty in getting a loan

4.What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?

A. It will irreparably damage their relationship

B. It will undermine their mutual understanding

C. It will help strengthen their emotional bonds

D. It will force them to pull their efforts together

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate

B. Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships

C. A stable family is the best protection against poverty.

D. Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage

In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.

　　We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

　　Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

　　After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.

　　The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.

　　Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.

　　Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created.

1.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to __________.

A.tear many troubled families apart

B.contribute to enduring family ties

C.bring about a drop in the divorce rate

D.cause a lot of conflicts in the family

2.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples close to stick together because

A.starting a new family would be hard

B.they expected things would turn better

C.they wanted to better protect their kids

D.living separately would be too costly

3.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?

A.Mounting family debts

B.A sense of insecurity

C.Difficulty in getting a loan

D.Falling housing prices

4.What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?

A.It will force them to pull their efforts together

B.It will undermine their mutual understanding

C.It will help strengthen their emotional bonds

D.It will irreparably damage their relationship

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate

B.Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships

C.A stable family is the best protection against poverty.

D.Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage