I remember my maths teacher Mr Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers. In school Maths was my worst subject. I don’t think there was ever a day I went to school that I was not afraid.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, my parents would be called to school.
I tried really hard for weeks to learn Maths. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things; my brain just couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
After class ended, I went to Mr Young and told him what would happen if I got another E. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.
I looked at the teacher and said, “Mr Young, you know how all the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”
He looked at me, and said nothing.
“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and matters like that,” I said.
Again, he said nothing as he looked down at his desk, and began grading papers.
The next day, when I got my report card, I looked at my grades: Geography: B- , English: D-  , History: C- , Gym: B+ , Art: C, Maths: D- .
That Math grade was the most favorite one I ever received in my whole life. I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.
【小题1】Where was Mr Young different from others?

You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.
As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.
or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.
Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).
As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

 I remember my maths teacher Mr Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers. In school Maths was my worst subject. I don’t think there was ever a day I went to school that I was not afraid.

One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, my parents would be called to school.

I tried really hard for weeks to learn Maths. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things; my brain just couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried.

The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did.

After class ended, I went to Mr Young and told him what would happen if I got another E. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.

I looked at the teacher and said, “Mr Young, you know how all the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”

He looked at me, and said nothing.

“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and matters like that,” I said.

Again, he said nothing as he looked down at his desk, and began grading papers.

The next day, when I got my report card, I looked at my grades: Geography: B- , English: D-  , History: C- , Gym: B+ , Art: C, Maths: D- .

That Math grade was the most favorite one I ever received in my whole life. I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.

1.Where was Mr Young different from others?

A．He had only nine fingers in all.

B．He played jokes with students.

C．He usually gave higher mark to students.

D．He taught Maths in an interesting way.

2.What would happen to the writer if he got another E?

A．He would be asked to leave school.

B．He might be punished by his parents.

C．He would not be allowed to play any more.

D．He would be laughed at by other students.

3.The writer got a Math D- at last because            .

A．he achieved a higher level after working hard

B．Mr Young was afraid of being made fun of again

C．Mr Young knew the trouble of being poor in mind

D．Mr Young thanked him for telling him the opinions of students

4.The story tells us that              .

A．students should respect(尊敬) the disabled teachers

B．teachers should treat all the students fairly

C．students need to be cared for in their study,

D．teachers should have an understanding of the students

You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.

As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.

Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).

As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

 What’s your favorite subject? English．P．E．or science? Perhaps different students will give different answers．Now，more and more schools have started to add（增加）survival education（生存教育）to their everyday lessons．Do you like this subject? I'm sure you will give a “yes” answer．The Sichuan earthquake made people realize the importance of survival education．

At the beginning of the fall term，CCTV played a program（节目）about life education named The First Class．All the primary and middle school students in our country, watched the program at home or at school．But this special lesson for public good is certainly not enough for survival education．Students must learn it like other subjects at school．

1．What's your favorite subject?

2．Do you like survival education?

3．Is survival education important?

4．What's the name of the program of CCTV?

5．Where did the students watch the program?