Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me.
Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby in different seasons.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy.
“I said ‘That’s not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he’s going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Hug(拥抱)him! And she started to do that. They just want a little hugging and a little love. And it works!” Delores Clemens said.
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. “I’m doing something for them that never has been done for them before.”
In class, with her baby son, is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in looking for a safer life.
“Did you go to high school?”
“Yes.”
“Did you graduate?”
“No, I didn’t. I was in my last year and then, I got pregnant(怀孕)and I got lazy.”
“You look like you are willing to accept responsibility(责任)for that.”
“Yes, I am, and I would like to finish.”
Some teenage mothers wish they themselves could be children again. 18-year-old Placida knows that feeling. “Because you have to get up every two hours in the middle of the night, and you can’t go out and say ‘I am going to buy this for myself.’ No. I have to buy pampers, clothes and food. So now it’s two. So it’s very hard.” Placida said.
【小题1】What did Natasha want to finish high school for?

Henry was a carpenter（木匠）of our village. Once I asked him to make a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I arrived home that evening, Henry was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for his work.. My wife said to me, quietly，“That’s his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said loudly, "It's a beautiful table，dear，isn't it?" "I won't decide about that until I see that bill.” I said.
Henry laughed and gave me his bill for the work. It said：
BILL
One dining table June 10，1995
Cost of wood 17.00
Paint（油漆） 1.50
Work，8 hours（1 an hour) 8.00
Total（总计） 36.50
When I was looking at the bill，Henry said，"It’s been a fine day，hasn’t it?” “ Quite sunny.” "Yes，”I said. "I’m glad it is only the 10th of June.” "Me too，” said Henry, "You wait--it'll be a bit hotter by the end of the month.” "Yes. Hotter--and more expensive. Dining tables will be 20 more expensive on June 30th，won't they，Henry?”
Henry looked hard at me for half a minute. There was a little smile in his two blue eyes. I gave his bill back to him. "If it isn't too much trouble，Henry，”I said，"Please add it up again. You can forget the date.”
I paid him 26. 50 and he was happy to get it.
【小题1】Why did Henry talk about weather when the writer was looking at the bill?

This is a true story in Guyana. One day, a child took some silver paper from a cigarette box. He rolled it into a tiny ball and pushed it up his nose. He couldn’t get it out again. He ran crying to his mother. His mother couldn’t get the paper out, either. A week later the paper was still in his nose. His nose began to have a bad smell.

So his mother took his child to the hospital. The doctor looked up his nose. She put a tiny steel rod（钢棒） into his nose and felt the paper. She said she would have to cut his nose to get the paper out.

The child’s mother came home looking sad. She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut. He was a handsome boy and the cut would make him ugly.

Next day, the child’s mother took him to her friend Sidney. Sidney lived in a house with an old woman called May. She asked to see the child, so the child let her look up his nose. He closed his eyes.

“Yes, I can see it,” May said. “It will be out soon!”

As she spoke, she shook black pepper on the child’s nose. He gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out. His mother was surprised. May told her to take the boy to the sea for a swim. She said the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell.

So the child didn’t have to go to the hospital and gave his nose cut.

1. How did the silver ball go into the boy’s nose?

A. His mother put it into his nose.

B. The boy himself pushed the ball up his nose.

C. The silver ball rolled into his nose itself.

D. The passage didn’t tell us.

2. Why did the boy’s nose have a bad smell?

A. The ball stayed in his nose for too long.

B. The boy didn't like to wash his nose.

C. His nose is cut and gave a bad smell.

D. Because he had a running nose.

3. In the last paragraph, the underlined word mighty means _____________.

A. 有力的             B. 可能的                  C. 好笑的.      D. 坚硬的

This is a true story in Guyana. One day, a child took some silver paper from a cigarette box. He rolled it into a tiny ball and pushed it up his nose. He couldn’t get it out again. He ran crying to his mother. His mother couldn’t get the paper out, either. A week later the paper was still in his nose. His nose began to have a bad smell.

So his mother took his child to the hospital. The doctor looked up his nose. She put a tiny steel rod（钢棒） into his nose and felt the paper. She said she would have to cut his nose to get the paper out.

The child’s mother came home looking sad. She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut. He was a handsome boy and the cut would make him ugly.

Next day, the child’s mother took him to her friend Sidney. Sidney lived in a house with an old woman called May. She asked to see the child, so the child let her look up his nose. He closed his eyes.

“Yes, I can see it,” May said. “It will be out soon!”

As she spoke, she shook black pepper on the child’s nose. He gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out. His mother was surprised. May told her to take the boy to the sea for a swim. She said the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell.

So the child didn’t have to go to the hospital and gave his nose cut.

1. How did the silver ball go into the boy’s nose?

A. His mother put it into his nose.

B. The boy himself pushed the ball up his nose.

C. The silver ball rolled into his nose itself.       

D. The passage didn’t tell us.

2. Why did the boy’s nose have a bad smell?

A. The ball stayed in his nose for too long.

B. The boy didn't like to wash his nose.

C. His nose is cut and gave a bad smell.

D. Because he had a running nose.

3.In the last paragraph, the underlined word mighty means _____________.

A. 有力的             B. 可能的                  C. 好笑的.      D. 坚硬的