I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can easily get lost in Yucatan! (268 words)

When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

   A. describe the place carefully B. show him a map of the place

   C. tell him the names of the streets  D. refer to recognizable buildings and places

What is the place where people measure distance in time?

   A. New York.   B. Los Angeles.      C. Kansas.             D. Iowa.

People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.

   A. in order to save time   B. to show the right way

   C. so as to be polite         D. for fun

What can we infer from the text?

   A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

   B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

   C. People have similar understandings of politeness.

   D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

Would you believe that the first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman? His name was Laurent Clerc. He became a friend of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and together they founded America's first school for the deaf.

Laurent Clerc was born in a small village near Lyons, France, on December 26, 1785. When he was one year old, he fell into a fire, losing both his hearing and his sense of smell.

At 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris where he did well in his studies. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.

Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister. He was very concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for the deaf. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London, England to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. While he was there, he met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to go to Paris to spend three months learning at the Royal Institution for the Deaf, the school where Laurent Clerc was teaching. Gallaudet accepted the offer. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return, he asked Clerc to come with him. Clerc accepted on one condition: that he would stay in America only a short time.

The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. Clerc studied English, and Gallaudet studied sign language. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.

At the school, Clerc led a busy life. He taught signs to Principal Gallaudet; he taught the pupils; and he taught hearing men who came to the school to study deaf education.

In 1819, Clerc married Eliza Crocker Boardman, one of his pupils. They had six children. He retired from teaching in 1858. Although he had intended to return to France, he never did. He died on July 18, 1869 in the United States.

1.Why did Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sail to London?

A. He needed to finish his studies to become a minister.

B. It was the easiest way to get to France.

C. He wanted to study their system of deaf education.

D. He wanted to marry Alice Cogswell.

2.From the information in this passage we can infer that__________.

A. Laurent Clerc was an intelligent man

B. Clerc had difficulties learning language

C. Clerc married Eliza in order to get his Green Card

D. Clerc was paid well because he made such important contributions to society

3.On their trip from Paris to America, Clerc and Gallaudet ___________.

A. played cards and socialized

B. studied and discussed their plans for a deaf school

C. founded a school for the deaf

D. Gallaudet studied English and Clerc studied Sign Language

4.Which is the right order of the things Clerc did?

A. met Gallaudet, moved to America, got married, went to school in Paris.

B. met Gallaudet, went to school in Paris, moved to America, got married.

C. went to school in Paris, met Gallaudet, moved to America, got married.

D. got married, went to school in Paris, met Gallaudet, moved to America.

5.The main idea of this passage could best be stated as_________.

A. Clerc managed his time well, succeeding in his career.

B. Thomas Gallaudet was indebted to Clerc for all that he taught him.

C. Clerc preferred teaching deaf students to hearing students.

D. Clerc, an educated Frenchman, had a great impact on American Deaf Education.

 

I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old, but they were playing a real game — a serious game — two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I didn’t know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the distraction of being anxious about winning or losing.

The teams were pretty evenly matched. I will just call them Team One and Team Two. Nobody scored in the first period. Then came the second quarter. The Team One coach pulled out what must have been his first team and put in the scrubs(替补队员), except for his best player who now guarded the goal.

    The game took a dramatic turn. I guess winning is important even when you’re five years old — because the Team Two coach left his best players in, and the Team One scrubs were no match for them. Team Two packed around the little guy who was now the Team One goalkeeper. He was an outstanding athlete, but he was no match for three or four who were also very good. Team Two began to score. The lone goalkeeper gave it everything he had, desperately throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying bravely to stop them.

    Team Two scored two goals in quick succession. It angered the young boy. He became a raging maniac — shouting, running, diving. With all the strength he could gather, he covered the boy who now had the ball, but that boy kicked it to another boy twenty feet away, and by the time he repositioned himself, it was too late — they scored a third goal.

I soon learned who the goalkeeper’s parents were. They were nice, decent-looking people. I could tell that his dad had just come from the office — he still had his suit and tie on. They yelled encouragement to their son. I became totally absorbed, watching the boy on the field and his parents on the sidelines.

    After the third goal, the little kid changed. He didn’t quit, but he became quietly desperate and futility was written all over him. His father changed, too. He had been urging his son to try harder — yelling advice and encouragement. But then he became anxious. He tried to say that it was okay — to hang in there. He sorrowed for the pain his son was feeling.

    After the fourth goal, I knew what was going to happen. The little boy fetched the ball from the net and handed it to the referee(裁判). He just stood there while huge tears rolled down both cheeks. He went to his knees, and he cried the tears of the helpless and brokenhearted.

    At that moment, I saw the father start onto the field. His wife seized his arm and said, “Jim, don’t. You’ll embarrass him.” But he tore loose from her and ran onto the field. Suit, tie, dress shoe, and all — he charged onto the field, and he picked up his son so everybody would know that this was his boy, and he hugged him and held him and cried with him. I’ve never been so proud of a man in my life.

    He carried him off the field, and when he got close to the sidelines I heard him say, “Scotty, I’m so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son.”

    “Daddy,” the boy sobbed. “I couldn’t stop them. I tried, Daddy, but they scored on me.”

    “Scotty, it doesn’t matter how many times they scored on you. You’re my son, and I’m proud of you. I want you to go back there and finish the game. I know you want to quit, but you can’t. And, son, you’re going to get scored on again, but it doesn’t matter. In my eyes, you are the winner! Go on, now.”

    The little guy ran back onto the field — and they scored two more times — but it was okay. Now in all viewers’ eyes, he is the Winner.

    When you’re all alone, and you’re getting scored on — and you can’t stop them — it means a lot to know that it doesn’t matter to those who love you. In their eyes, so long as you don’t give up, you are the winner. And they are always proud of you.

1.The phrase “took a dramatic turn” (Paragraph 3) can best be replaced by ______.

A. went on smoothly                             B. changed greatly

C. attracted less attention                    D. got interrupted

2.Which detail from the story can reflect the little boy’s losing confidence?

A. The lone goalkeeper gave it everything he had, desperately throwing his body.

B. He became a raging maniac — shouting, running, diving.

C. With all the strength he could gather, he covered the boy who now had the ball.

D. He didn’t quit, but he became quietly desperate and futility was written all over him.

3.Why did the boy’s mother try to stop her husband running onto the field?

A. She thought it would only make his son feel awkward.

B. She hoped her son could gather courage and cheer himself up.

C. She considered it useless to encourage his son at that time.

D. She knew it was not allowed when the game was still in progress.

4.Which words can best describe the change of the writer’s feelings when watching the game?

A. curious → anxious → grateful

B. bored → upset → delighted

C. calm → absorbed → moved

D. surprised → thoughtful → interested

5.Which can be seen as the climax (the most important point) of the story?

A. The boy’s going to his knees and bursting into tears helplessly.

B. Team Two’s scoring another two goals after the boy went back to the field.

C. The boy’s fighting bravely in face of Team Two’s excellent performance.

D. The father’s running onto the field and encouraging his son not to give up.

6.The best title for the story is ______.

A. A Proud Father                                          B. An Amazing Game

C. The True Winner                                        D. The Magical Encouragement

 

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