When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!
1.Who was Jim?
A．The child of the Tyners’.
B．The writer’s relative.
C．The president of a school board.
D．An official of a school.
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?
A．The learning difficulty.
B．The physical problems.
C．The psychological problems.
D．The communication difficulty.
3.According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE？
A．He was always sad about his school marks.
B．His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks.
C．His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers.
D．He was killed in a car accident.
4.The purpose of Polly’s letter is to .
A．memorize her son
B．teach parents to appreciate their children
C．teach children how to be good boys
D．give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up（蜷伏）with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
1. “The door to his room is always shut” in the first paragraph suggests that the son ______.
A. is always busy with his studies
B. doesn’t want to be disturbed
C. keeps himself away from his parents
D. begins to dislike his parents
2.What troubles Tina and Mark most is that ______________.
A. their daughter isn’t as lovely as before
B. they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly
C. they don’t know what to say to their daughter
D. their daughter talks with them only when she needs help
3.What’s the meaning of “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
A. Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.
B. Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.
C. Teenagers talk little about their own lives.
D. Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.
4.What can be learned from the passage?
A. Parents are unhappy with their growing children.
B. Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers.
C. Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers.
D. Parents should try to understand their teenagers.
The moment happened 20 years ago but it was still fresh in my memory. I was a college freshman and had up most of the night before, laughing and talking with friends. Now just before my first of the day my eyelids（眼皮）were feeling heavier and heavier and my was drifting down to my desk to make my textbook a pillow. A few minutes’ nap（小睡）time before class wouldn’t , I thought.
BOOM! I lifted my head suddenly and my eyes opened wider than saucers. I looked around with my beating wildly trying to find the cause of the . My young professor was looking at me with a boyish smile on his face. He had dropped the textbooks he was carrying onto his desk. “Good morning!”, he said still . “I am glad to see everyone is . Now let’s get started. ”
For the next hour I wasn’t sleepy at all. It wasn’t from the of my professor’s textbook alarm clock either. It was from the fascinating discussion he led. With knowledge and good he made the material come . His insight was full of both wisdom and loving-kindness. And the enthusiasm and joy that he with were contagious（有感染力的）. I the classroom not only wide awake, but a little and a little better as well.
I learned something far more important than not in class that day too. I learned that if you are going to do something in this life，do it well，do it with . What a wonderful place this would be if all of us did our work joyously and well. Don’t sleepwalk your way through then. Wake up! Let your love fill your work. Life is too not to live it well.
1.A. stayed B. took C. spent D. picked
2.A. stage B. image C. test D. class
3.A. head B. hand C. cheek D. throat
4.A. inspect B. hurt C. disturb D. bend
5.A. wrist B. mind C. heart D. forehead
6.A. voice B. incident C. noise D. trouble
7.A. purposely B. frankly C. Constantly D. appropriately
8.A. panicking B. sighing C. complaining D. smiling
9.A. loose B. awake C. curious D. committed
10.A. defence B. shock C. interruption D. comfort
11.A. instead B. beneath C. thus D. otherwise
12.A. design B. humor C. assumption D. comprehension
13.A. strange B. natural C. positive D. alive
14.A. spread B. associated C. instructed D. reflected
15.A. grasped B. enclosed C. left D. escaped
16.A. securer B. clearer C. stronger D. smarter
17.A. bothering B. obeying C. judging D. sleeping
18.A. joy B. religion C. Strength D. determination
19.A. journey B. college C. life D. work
20.A. hard B. short C. casual D. Independent
They couldn’t get out of trouble by themselves _________ they tried to.
A. as if B. now that
C. even if D. in case
______ to caring for the poor, Mother Teresa is greatly respected throughout the world.
A. Having fully devoted B. Having been fully devoted
C. To have fully devoted D. Being fully devoted to
We all admired Linda very much. ______ her prettiness, she was smart and helpful.
A. Rather than B. Aside from
C. Due to D. Except that
