I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke（唤起） an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.

Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions（认识）of the limited English speaker.

I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is ,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal（内在的） language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.

By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that ______.

A. she uses English in foreign trade

B. she is fascinated by languages

C. she works as a translator

D. she is a writer by profession

The author used to think of her mother’s English as ______.

A. impolite   B. amusing

C. imperfect   D. practical

Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A. Americans do not understand broken English.

B. The author’s mother was not respected sometimes.

C. The author’ mother had positive influence on her.

D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is _____.

A. well structured   B. in the old style

C. easy to translate   D. rich in meaning

What is the passage mainly about?

A. The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English.

B. The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother.

C. The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English.

D. The author’s experiences of using broken English.

Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested in the memoir（回忆录）of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.

Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major from medicine to education.

Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.

Tyler became well-known nationality in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Hutchins.

Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an independent（独立的）spirit in their work.

Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers and management people on how to set objectives（目标）that develop the best teaching and learning within their schools.

68. Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler’s memoir?

   A. Top managers.                    B. Language learners.

   C. Serious educators.                 D. Science organizations.

69. The words “hooked oh teaching” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean ________.

   A. attracted to teaching               B. tired of teaching

   C. satisfied with teaching             D. unhappy about teaching

70. Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?

   A. The University of Chicago.         B. Stanford University.

   C. Ohio State University.             D. Nebraska University.

71. Tyler is said to have never actually retired because ____________.

A. he developed a new method of testing    B. he called for free spirit in research

C. he was still active in giving advice       D. he still led the Eight-Year Study

Why should you learn Sign Language? Do you want to improve your communication with a family member or friend who is deaf? Do you want to be able to communicate with deaf people in general? Would you like to advance in your career by being able to communicate in ASL? Do you want to be a Sign Language interpreter?

Sign language is not just a random (随意的) collection of gestures but a full-blown (完全成熟的) language in its own right, complete with its own grammatical rules. Each country or region has its own sign language, as different from each other as English is from Spanish. Each version of sign language is somewhat linked to the spoken language in its region. For example, American sign language does share similarities with English, even though it is its own language.

The advantages of knowing sign language in addition to a spoken language are many. Communication becomes possible on many levels with the deaf community, with other people either hearing or not in any of the above situations, as well as many more.

While other languages take years to learn, American Sign Language can be taught in a much shorter time period. It is one of the easiest languages to learn because most of the signs were developed to mimic the actual word or phrase it is representing. Even the alphabet signs look like the letters of the English alphabet.

American Sign Language, or ASL, is the third most used language in the United States. Used by the deaf community, interpreters, and friends and family of the deaf. There are a lot of sites on the internet that not only shows you the sign with video, but will help you practice reading signs as well.

Teaching even hearing babies sign language seems to be the fashion in recent years and for good reason. Communicating in sign language is fun and natural as babies naturally use body gestures in early communication. Teaching baby sign language actually appears to enhance the learning of verbal skills and brain development of the children involved.

Which two regions share similarities in their sign language?

A. Spain and Britain.

B. Mexico and USA.

C. Australia and Canada.

D. Japan and Korea.

Sign language ________.

A. is a collection of gestures

B. is easier to learn than English

C. is not very popular in USA

D. has no link to the spoken language

One of the reasons for learning sign language is that it ________.

A. increase self-confidence

B. provides more choices of career

C. trains brains

D. is interesting

Babies’ learning sign language cannot ________.

A. help them talk sooner

B. help them walk sooner

C. increase communication at a very early age

D. enrich relationship with parents and the people who take care of them

Which of the following topics is not discussed in the passage?

A. What is sign language?

B. The advantages of knowing sign language.

C. The relation of American sign language and English.

D. Ways of learning sign language.

Personal Growth

　　There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process.

　　People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外部的，表面的) result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language — all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

　　By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by definition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they gain new experiences and face unexpected difficulties. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

　　In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront (正视) the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow. Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive (优柔寡断)? Then we may hesitate, move slowly, and not take a step until we know the ground is safe. Do we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal successfully with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.

　　These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary for us to change and grow. If we do not confront and overcome these internal (内部的) fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease (停止) to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.

In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would _______.

       A. succeed in climbing up the social ladder

       B. judge his ability to grow from his own achievements

       C. face difficulties and take up challenges

       D. aim high and reach his goal each time

When the author says “a new way of being”, he is referring to ________.

       A. a new approach to experiencing the world      B. a new way of taking risks

       C. a new method of understanding ourselves　    D. a new system of adapting to change

For personal growth, the author supports all of the following EXCEPT _______.

       A. curiosity about more chances    B. promptness (迅速) in self-adaptation

       C. open-mindedness to new experiences       D. avoidance of internal fears and doubts

The best title for this passage should be _________.

       A. Growth — Product or Process  B. Facing New Challenges

       C. Two Basic Ways of Growth          D. Overcoming Internal Fears

When several different people look at the same person, it’s not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you alone observe one behavior or one person at two different times, you may see different things. The following are but some of the factors that lead to these changing perceptions(感知认可)

(1) Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural conditioning education, and personal experiences.

(2) Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what we’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person’s perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this per??son; or you may focus (聚集) primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same yardstick (标准)to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.

(3) Sometimes we see only what we want to see or don’t see what may be obvious to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory (矛盾的) information is particular??ly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore (忽视) the stimulus He’s basically a good boy so what I saw was not shoplifting.

We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information — All kids (孩子) get into mischief (顽皮). Taking a book from the bookstore isn’t such a big deal. "We can change the meaning of the contradictory information." It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later. (from www.nmet113.com)

9. The first factor given by the author that affects our perception is ________.

A. the abilities of one’s auditory (听觉的) and visual (视觉的) sensors

B. cultural background and personal experiences

C. experiences one learns from others

D. critical measures taken by other people

10. While observing a particular person, ________.

A. one is likely to take all aspects (方面) to consideration

B. one pays more attention to his/her advantages

C. children often differ from grown-ups in perception

D. one tends to choose certain cues (提示) to look for

11. Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because________.

A. their measuring yardsticks are not the same

B. either of them may be slow to catch information

C. the time for observation is not long enough

D. each of them uses different language to express his/her impressions

12. The word "stimulus" in paragraph 4 refers to________.

A. something attractive                B. selective perception

C. contradictory information            D. shoplifting

13. The worst thing in selective perception is that________.

A. perceived information runs against your desire

B. facts can be totally ignored or distorted (扭曲)

C. importance of the contradictory information can be overrated (估计过高)

D. the same information may not be dealt with in the same way