Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone's life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn't a very good answer and my student didn't let it slide.

"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were cra zy and walked away looking confused . I'm one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.

Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach: It's in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled(逐渐灌输) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.

Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can't have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that's what I strive to do. I genuinely love teenagers. I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they'll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.

Teaching isn't for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.

1.. Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?

  A. Because he thought her answer was unbelievable.

  B. Because the writer was insincere.

  C. Because the student was naughty.

  D. Because the answer was difficult to understand.

2.. What do you think of the writer?

  A. Stupid.                B. Honest.          C. Insincere.       D. Polite.

3.. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

  A. The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her.

  B. The writer’s answer made the student confused.

  C. In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach.

  D. The writer annoyed the student who asked the question.

4.. We can infer from the text that _________.

  A. the writer was also a good teacher in school

  B. the writer often plays with her students beside a pond

  C. the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students.

  D. the writer often accompanies the students on their way home

5.. What’s the main idea of the text?

  A. A student’s silly question.               B. A good teacher who likes students.

  C. A confused student.                        D. The reason why I teach.

That“Monday morning feeling”could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday mornings and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.

　The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2, 600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 percent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.

　Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 percent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.

　A study of 11, 000 Italians proved 8 a. m. on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewest heart attacks in both countries.

　The finding could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr Stefan Willich of the Free University. “We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol（胆固醇）but we don’t know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can’t give clear advice on how to prevent them, ”he said.

　Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work.

　“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal（内分泌）changes in their bodies, ”Willich explained. “All these things can have an unfavorable effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot（血凝块）which will cause a heart attack.”

　“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activities,”said Willich.

1.Monday morning feeling, as this passage shows, ________.

2.To protect people from a heart attack, doctors have paid much attention to ________.

3.It can be learned from this passage that the heart attack has something to do with all the following EXCEPT ________.

4.If the researchers give us some advice to avoid Monday morning feeling, what might it be?

What's On

Stage

An acrobatic(杂技) soul: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China", where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills(寒战) will run down your spine (脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge

Time: 7:30p. m,Septemberl3—19

Place: Capital Theatre,22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Exhibitions

Joint show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing.

About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.

Time: 9 a.m. —5 p.m.until September 10

Place: Huangshicheng Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng Distirct

Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle — aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture(捕捉) he wonderous variety of life in unique(独特的) styles.

Time: 9 a.m. —4 p.m.until September 15

Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District

Literature (文学) museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in —depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.

Time: 9 a.m. — 4 p.m, daily

Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District(Shaoyaoju area)

Conarts

Beijing rocks: "The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience(听众) will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.

Time: September 16

Place: The Olympic Center

Belgium Orchestra (管弦乐队): La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate(纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach' s death.

Time: 7:30 p.m. September l1—14

Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities

What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned here?

A．When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold.

B．Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists.

C．Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised.

D．Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching.

The most characteristic thing about the Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock is that_________.

A．it will let the audience choose the performers and the music

B．it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes

C．it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China

D．it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians

Suppose it is September 14 today, how marry activities can people choose to attend?

A．2　　　　　　　 B．3　　　　　　　　 C．4　　　　　　　　D．5

On the whole, we can conclude__________.

A．people in Beijing prefer modem culture to something traditional

B．there are usually more cultural activities in September than in any other month

C．most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only

D．we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing

After spending three days in a wheelchair, I was ready to quit. Not only did I have to battle cracked (裂缝的) and uneven (不平的) pavements, I had to deal with the bad attitude of pedestrians (行人) and a cold rain. But I didn’t give up because of people like Tiffany Payne.

   Payne, who has been using a wheelchair for 18 years, laughed at me:

   “Imagine trying to get around town in the winter,” she said.

   I could see her point: You’re battling to get to a doctor’s appointment (预约), but no one has shoveled (铲) after a big snowfall. Your choices: Move out and risk getting stuck, or reschedule the appointment.

  Those of us fortunate enough to get around on our own two legs don’t give a second thought to the person in a wheelchair next to us at a crosswalk. That would require us to look down.

   So I decided to try using a wheelchair to get a sample of what their lives are like. It wasn’t long before I saw that people who use wheelchairs are forced to deal with a lot of trouble.

   During my experiment, I was ignored by store staff while shopping and bumped into by inattentive (疏忽的) walkers without so much as an apology.    

   Some people even gave me angry looks as if I were the one at fault.

   Once in a store, a woman bumped into me trying to get to the new iPad. She didn’t say, “Excuse me.”

  When salespeople did offer assistance, they talked to people who were with me, instead of me. I wanted to yell: “Hey, I’m down here!”

  Some salespeople talked to me as though I were a child or acted like they didn’t want to be bothered with me.

   People who use wheelchairs want to be treated like everyone else. They also comprehend (理解), so you don’t have to speak to them in a childlike, sing-song voice. It’s not very appealing (吸引人的), especially when the person is an adult. And most importantly, remember they have feelings that can be hurt just like yours.

   Spending three days in a wheelchair made me look differently at those who have to use one. I hope you do the same.

                                            By James E. Causey

1.The author writes the story to _______.

  A. help those in wheelchairs gain self-confidence

  B. share his experience of acting as a wheelchair user

  C. ask people to show sympathy for those in wheelchairs

  D. call on people to respect and help those in wheelchairs

2. During his three days in a wheelchair, the author met all of the following  

  difficulties EXCEPT ______.

  A. bad road conditions          B. poor attitudes of ordinary people

  C. terrible medical service         D. bad weather

3. What can we conclude from the article?

  A. A wheelchair user may feel offended when you do not address him or her directly.

  B. Assistants in big stores are usually kind to people in wheelchairs.

  C. People in wheelchairs should fight for fair treatment.

  D. People in wheelchairs are usually hard to get along with.

4. Which of the following statements would the author agree to?

  A. Look down on a person in a wheelchair.

  B. Speak to a person in a wheelchair in a sing-song voice.

  C. Treat a person in a wheelchair as you would any other person.

  D. Offer assistance to a person in a wheelchair without asking for permission.

Ⅲ.阅读（共两节，满分40分）

阅读理解（共15小题；每小2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

   When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. 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 .  

My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs.Tan..”

   And my mother was standing beside me ,whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week lone.”

And then , in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”

Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs.Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.

  When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

1.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?

         A.She was unable to speak good English.

         B.She was often misunderstood.

         C.She was not clearly heard.

         D.She was not very polite.

2.From Paragorph 2, we know that the author was____________.

         A.good a pretending

         B.rude to the stockbroker

         C.ready to help her mother

         D.unwilling to phone for her mother

3.After the author made the phone call, __________

A.they forgave the stockbroker

         B.they failed to get the check

         C.they went to New York immediately

         D.they spoke to their boss at once

4.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?

         A.It confuses her.

         B.It embarrasses her.

         C.It helps her understand the world.

         D.It helps her tolerate rude people.

5.We can inter from the passage that Chinese English__________.

         A.is clear and natural to non-native speakers

         B.is vivid and direct to non-native speakers

         C.has a verv bad reputation in America

         D.may bring inconvenience in America