As a music teacher for twenty-seven years I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.

A few years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase “Oh yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class Vanessa and I clapped together. She never said or sang a word.

One day late in the school year when the song was finished Vanessa turned around, looked at me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music we had made a connection.

Several years later I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times mimicking the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl through her connection with music left an impression on me that will last forever.

Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.

1.The author thinks music__________.

A．can make children calm down              B．can connect heart to heart

C．is difficult for pre-school students           D．is a good means to find a job

2.According to the second paragraph Vanessa_________.

A．got used to singing songs                  B．was too shy to speak

C．was the youngest in the class               D．enjoyed the author’s class

3.When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh yes!” the author felt________.

A．surprised         B．happy            C．frightened         D．satisfied

4.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years.

B．Vanessa became as healthy as other children.

C．The song made a deep impression on Vanessa.

D．Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream.

Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”
“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”
Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.
This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.
“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.
But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?
According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.
By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.
Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.
“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

No Car Day was first started by 34 cities in France on September 22, 1998. It was started to protect the environment. By now, more than 1,000 cities around the world have had a No Car Day.
The first No Car Day in China was in Chengdu in 2001. Other cities including Taipei, Shanghai and Wuhan, also support the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are taking part in the activity. It asks drivers to leave their cars at home for one day each month and walk or ride a bike to work. It also calls on Beijingers not to use cars on June 5th (World Environment Day). The slogan(口号) for the day is, “ If we drive for one less day, we can have one more nice day.”
So far, more than 200,000 drivers have shown their support. “We can’t control the weather, but we can choose not to drive,” said Wu Zhonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have 238 blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of 2007, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period last year. Much of the dust comes from the desert, but cars cause most of the air pollution. We must do more for No Car Day.
【小题1】No Car Day was started _______.

Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap (代沟) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.

   Voice of the students:

　 “Our parents hold too high expectations（期望）which put us under lots of pressure. They care too much about our lives and studies,” one student said.

“It’s impolite that some students’ parents read their children’s diaries without permission!” one student said angrily.

“Some of our teachers are so serious that we can’t make friends with them at all,” another student said sadly.

Voice of the parents:

One mother said, “After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can’t stand（忍受） her clothes and hairstyle!”

“I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn’t realize I was being cheated by him until I got a call from his teacher,” said a father.

Voice of the teachers:

An English teacher said, “Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students’ brain. The power (权力) teachers have kept students away from them.”

“Some parents pay too much attention to their children’s grades instead of creating a lively and colorful environment at home,” another teacher said.

“In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about,” said a teacher. “A school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure and frustration（挫折） bravely enough.” 

1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A. Students like telling how they feel to their classmates.

B. More and more students don’t like to be surveyed.            

C. Some parents don’t like their children’s clothes and hairstyle.

D. There has been a great distance between students and parents as well as teachers.

2.The underlined word “cheated” in the passage means ___________.

A. 欺骗          B. 批评          C. 表扬         D. 揭露

3. What can we infer (推断) from the teachers who were surveyed?

A. Teachers feel what they are doing for students is good.

B. Parents, teachers and educational rules all influence students greatly.

C. Teachers should care more about excellent students.                   

D. Now teachers and students communicate better than before.

4.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A. Unhappy Teenagers                B. Educational Rules

C. The Generation Gap                D. Serious Parents