Working Christmas Day

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25.I was a nurse that day, sighing about having to work on Christmas.Just then five bodies showed up at my ,a pale woman and four small children.

“Are you all ? ” I asked doubtfully.

“Yes.”the woman said and lowered her head.

But when it came to the of their problems,things got a little strange.Two of the chlidren had headaches, weren’t accompanied by the normal symptoms of being ill.Two children had earaches,but only one could tell me which ear was .The mother complained of a but seemed to work to produce it.

“It may be a little while a doctor sees you.” I explained.

“Take your time;it’s warm here.”She .

Whne they were waiting,I checked the chart.They had no —they were homeless.The waiting room was warm.I looked out at the by the Christmas tree.The youngest one was saying to her mother.The oldest one was looking at the Christmas tree.

I went back to the nurses’ station and the homeless family in the waiting room.The nurses,complaining about the working Christmas,began to feel pity for a family just trying to get on Christmas.The team went into action,as we do when there’s a emergency, but this was a Christmas emergency.

We a simple dinner for our Christmas guests in the hospital cafeteria.They needed ,so we collected from different departments candies and other things that could be presents.

As the family walked to the door to leave,the four-year-old came running , gave me a hug and whispered,” Thanks for being our angel today.”

1.A.on business B.on holiday C.on dutyD.on purpose

2.A.desk B.book C.computer D.chair

3.A.cold B.well C.sick D.poor

4.A.highly B.secrecy C.happily D.weakly

5.A.treatments B.descriptions C.suggestions D.solutions

6.A.or B.but C.and D.thus

7.A.controlled B.reflected C.attacked D.affected

8.A.break B.trouble C.mistake D.cough

9.A.before B.after C.until D.unless

10.A.hesitated B.announced C.responded D.regretted

11.A.identity B.address C.money D.problem

12.A.nurses B.doctors C.patients D.family

13.A.something B.nothing C.everything D.anything

14.A.informed B.mentioned C.rejected D.criticized

15.A.relaxed B.busy C.free D.warm

16.A.mental B.physical C.medical D.vital

17.A.shared B.enjoyed C.prepared D.delivered

18.A.medicine B.courage C.houses D.presents

19.A.cheap B.available C.healthy D.convenient

20.A.back B.forward C.around D.away

 

About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table,I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation.At one point the woman asked,“So,how have you been?" And the boy -who could not have been more than seven or eight years old-replied.“Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately."

This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing.As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”,that is,in low spirits,until we were in high school.

Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years.Children don't seem childlike anymore.Children speak more like adults,dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different.Childhood as it once was no longer exists.Why?

Human development is depended not only on born biological states,but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge.Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social posifions.Children have always been taught adult secrets,but slowly and in stages;traditionally,we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

In the last 30 years,however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes.It is called television.Television passes information to all viewers allke,whether they are children or adults.Unable to resist the temptation(诱惑),many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging,more attractive moving pictures.

Communication through print,as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain.Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

1.According to the author, feeling depressed is .

A.a sure sign of a mental problem in a child

B.a mental state present in all humans, including children

C.something that cannot be avoided in children’s mental development

D.something hardly to be expected in a young child

2.Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world .

A.through connection with society

B.gradually and under guidance

C.naturally without being taught

D.through watching television

3.According to the author’that today’s children seem adultlike results from .

A.the widespread influence of television

B.the poor arrangement of teaching content

C.the fast pace of human scientific development

D.the rising standard of living

4.What does the anthor think of communication through print for children?

A.It enables children to gain more social information.

B.It develops children’s interest in reading and writing.

C.It helps chlldren to read and write well

D.It can control what children are to learn.

5.What does the author think of the change in today’s children?

A.He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny.

B.He thinks the change worthy of note.

C.He considers it a rapid development.

D.He seems to be upset about it.

 

On Nov.18,1995,Itzhak Perlman,the violinist,came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

If you have ever been to a Perlman concert,you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症)as a child,and so he has braces(支架)on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches(双拐).

He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair.Then he sits down,slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs,tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward.Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin,nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.

But this time,something went wrong.Just as he fmished the first few bars(小节),one of the strings on his violin broke.You could hear it snap(嘣断)---it went off like gunfire across the room.There was no mistaking what that meant.There was no mistaking what he had to do.

We figured that he would have to get up,put on the clasps again,pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage-to either find another violin or else find another string for this one.But he didn’t.Instead.he waited a moment,closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.

The orchestra began,and he played from where he had left off.And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.

When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.He smiled,wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us,and then he said in a quiet tone.“You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.’’

1.By saying “getting on stage is no small achievement for him”, the author really means .

A.it’s very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings

B.it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled

C.it’s not easy for ltzhak Perlman to face such a large audience

D.it’s really great achievements for ltzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings

2.When one of the strings broke,people thought Itzhak Perlman would .

A.go on playing with the remaining three strings

B.give up playing

C.change or repair his violin

D.get off the stage with shame

3.Itzhak Perlman when one of the strings of the violin broke.

A.gave up playing

B.didn’t know what to do

C.went on playing the same piece of music

D.went on playing a different piece of music

4.What did the audience feel when Itzhak Perlman finished playing?

A.Surprised. B.Disappointed. C.Moved. D.Satistied.

5.Itzhak Perlman can be best described as a man who is .

A.clever B.strong willed C.humourous D.quite skilled

 

The riches in the world are not found in the famous gold and diamond mines,where many men and women are digging for them.Most riches in the world are found in the cemeteries(墓地)and grave yards,buried with people’s dreams,aspirations,and unfulfilled potential.Why is it so?

Countless men and women died without ever having the courage to follow their own paths.Maybe because they were afraid to violate some kinds of social norms, maybe because they were afraid to be alone,or maybe simply because they preferred to settle for the familiar.They went to the graves,with a song that would never be heard,a piece of poetry never be written, a dance step never be initiated and a heart full of dreams and aspirations,leaving behind a life full of potential yet no legacy.

Michael Jordan,one of the greatest athletes once said,‘‘I can fail,but I cannot afford not to try.” Life remains a beautiful journey if we learn to take that step and to work that path.Every challenge and defeat in the process becomes a light post that sharpens the vision and shapes the direction forward.

“In my world nothing goes wrong,”said the great Indian sage Nmaja Dhahta Majraj.We must learn to trust the greatness within all of us and know that each of as is here to bring our unique contribution to the universal monument.If each of us learns to dance to the music we only can hear, society as a whole will evolve naturally and spiritually toward love,peace and happiness,and will be void of jealousy,envy and discrimination.

And Henry David Thoreau would say, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions,that is because he hears a difierent drum.’’And one truly believes that the path to success and happiness passes through the dancing to such a unique drumbeat.Therefore,do not die with the music still playing inside you.

1.What’s the author’s opinion on riches?

A.They are people’s dreams and aspirations.

B.They are the most important things in the world.

C.They are something we can’t possess and dream of.

D.They are gold and diamonds which we can dig for in mines.

2.According to Paragraph 2,which one is NOT the reason why so many people died without sticking to their own paths?

A.They were afraid to break the traditional norms.

B.They were used to what they were already familiar with.

C.They were afraid to hurt others and snffer setbacks.

D.They were afraid to be alone when making the dreams come true.

3.What does Michael Jordan mean by saying “I can fail, but I cannot afrord not to try”?

A.Having a try is an easy thing we can do.

B.Trying something new will bring us benefits.

C.We should be careful if we want to have a try.

D.All people are not brave enough to experience something new.

4.Which word can best describe Nihaja Dhahta Majraj according to the passage?

A.Brave. B.Healthy. C.Common.D.Self-confident.

5.How is the passage organized?

A.Topic—Argument—Explanation

B.Topic—Examples—Conclusion

C.Introduction—Comparison—Discussion

D.Introduction—Explanatton—Examples

 

阅读短文,并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

One morning in 2007.Parthasarathy---we usually called him Partha.---came to meet me.He was disabled and was not an engineer but had majored in a computer course in college.I told Partha,“I’d like to employ people like you.”In fact,it turned out to be the right decision to employ him.Partha had an amazing enthusiasm and his disability did not stop him from improving himself.I was not doing any charity by employing him because my company benefited more from Partha.I have realized that physically challenged people are more faithful than others but unfortunately we usually pay scant attention to them.

At that time our office was on the first floor and Partha had difnculty dealing with the stairs.Seeing him struggle.I decided to make the entire office disabled-friendly.Our ground floor is now intended for the disabled people, and we have special toilets for them.We have also built houses for them near the office so that they can avoid long travelling hours.

After meeting Partha,I decided to hire more disabled people.We waited six months to get another disabled person who then became our receptionist.

I don’t regard employing disabled people as charity.I consider it my responsibility.The country has spent much money educating me and I feel it is time for me to do something as a reward.

It is great to work with them.Seeing them work, get married, settle in life and have children is a wonderful experience.

We have 550 employees now, and 20 percent of them are disabled.We go to Engineering Colleges looking for disabled people but onty to find one or two in each college.Parents don’t send them out.The biggest challenge for the physically disabled is the attitude of their parents,but we hire them even if they are not engineers.

1.What kind of person was Partha?(No more than 10 words)

2.What does the underlined word “scant” in the 1st paragraph mean?

(No more than 2 words)

3.Why is the ground floor intended for the disabled people?(No more than l2 words)

4.How many disabled workers are there in the writer’s company now?

(No more than 2 words)

5.Do you agree to the writer’s plan to employ more disabled people? And why?

(No more than 30 words)

 

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