--- Where shall we hold the meeting?

--- At any place          .

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a spe­cial student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.

During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles(阻碍) and going for my dreams.

I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion（冠军）. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”

Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed

away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:

Dick,

My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.

I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I

will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.

Yours,

Matthew

1. How old was Matthew when they met?

2.The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that _______.

3.Matthew didn’t accept the author’s medal because _________.

4.From the passage we learn that _________.

In a recently published book, I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams, lotus flowers and clustering. As I used these exercises in my classes, I noticed that students were interested. They said more and wrote more. They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups. They were no longer passively waiting for the bell , but actively taking part in the lesson. I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency.

Creativity has become a popular word in recent years. Scholars in arts, psychology, business, education and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it. Robert J. Stemberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology. He defines creativity as “the ability to produce work that is both new (original) and appropriate(applicable to the situation ) ”. this definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way and to use it correctly and properly. Most scholars say there are two types of creativity: big “C” creativity and small “c” creativity. Big “C” creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs. Small “c” creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation our emphasis is on the letter. While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison, our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in a new way.

The underlined words “waiting for the bell ” in the first paragraph probably means______.

A. longing for a phone call        

B. hoping to have a bell   

C. expecting the end of the class    

D. waiting to speak in the class

It can be inferred from the passage that the author thinks the exercises in the book were ____. A. popular    B. useful    C. scientific     D. creative   

When you use a familiar word in a new way, you are ________.

   A creative in the sense of big “C” creativity.

   B. creative in the sense of small “c” creativity..

C. not creative in the sense of big “C” creativity..

D. not creative in the sense of small “c” creativity.

The main purpose of the passage is to _________.

A. show how useful the book is.

B, explain what creativity 

C. discuss how one can be creative 

D. tell what reaching aims at 

根据对话内容，从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

------1 

------Going shopping is always boring 。

------2  There are many things to choose from.

-------3  We spend a lot of time but come back without anything。

------4  

-----I have always been afraid to bear you say “I am sorry I have changed my mind”.

----5  I prefer to stay at home watching TV  .

E. Sometimes I really have trouble choosing among so many things.

F. But without you I can’t make a decision on what to buy.

—I must say you are a wonderful cook,Mrs.Smith.?

—_________.I’m glad you enjoyed the meal.?

A.No,not so well           B.Thank you ?

C.Just so-so                  D.You’re welcome?