Question

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that  it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

If you have a kid with special needs in the school system, chances are you’ve come across that saying hanging on a classroom wall. My five-year-old daughter Syona has cerebral palsy (a medical condition affecting someone’s control over their movement ) and it means ,combined with her communication challenges and sight problems , that standard assessments (and by “standard”, I mean the ones used to assess kids with special needs ) aren’t always an accurate measure of her abilities.

By now you have probably heard about Chris Ulmer, the 26-year-old teacher in Jacksonville, Florida ,who starts his special education class by calling up each student individually to give them much admiration and a high-five (a gesture of greeting or congratulation ). I couldn’t help but be reminded of Syona’s teacher and how she supports each kid in a very similar way. Ulmer recently shared a video of his teaching experience. “I have seen their confidence and self-worth increase rapidly,” he said . All I could think was: How lucky these students are to have such inspirational teachers.

Syona’s teacher has an attitude that can best be summarized in one word: awesome. Her teacher doesn’t focus on what can’t be done—she focuses on what can be done. Over the past several months, my husband Dilip and I have seen Syona’s confidence increase tenfold. She uses words she wouldn’t have thought of using before. She recently told me about her classmate’s trip to Ecuador and was very proud when I understood her on the first try.

I actually wonder what the influence would be if we did something similar to what Ulmer does with his students in our home .We’ve recently started our day by reminding each other of the good qualities we all possess. If we are reminded of our strengths on a regular basis, we will become increasingly confident about progress and success.

Ulmer’s reach as a teacher goes far beyond the walls of his classroom. In fact, he teaches all of us to take a moment and truly appreciate the strengths of an important person in our lives.

1.What does the author think of Einstein’s quote?

A. Funny

B. Strange

C. True

D. Confusing

2.What can we learn about Chris Ulmer?

A. He is Syona’s favorite teacher.

B. He praises his students one by one

C. He use videos to teach his students

D. He asks his students to help each other

3.Syona felt very pleased because_____.

A. she has developed a cool attitude

B. her mother knew what she expressed

C. her progress was appreciated by her parents

D. she had been to Ecuador with her classmate

4.What change has taken place in the author’s family?

A. They give each other praise every day

B. They visit Ulmer’s classroom regularly

C. They feel grateful to people in their lives

D. They invite Ulmer’s students to their home

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.A

【解析】作者通过Chris Ulmer老师的教学经验和女儿进步的亲身经历，告诉了我们赞赏在进步和成功方面的巨大的无形的作用。

1.C

推理判断题。根据爱因斯坦的名言：每个人都身怀天赋，但如果用会不会爬树能力来评判一只鱼，它会终其一生以为自己愚蠢。并结合第二段作者女儿的实际情况，作者认为standard assessments (and by “standard”, I mean the ones used to assess kids with special needs ) aren’t always an accurate measure of her abilities.与爱因斯坦的观点一致，作者认为这是对的。故选C.

2.B

细节推理题。根据第三段Chris Ulmer, the 26-year-old teacher in Jacksonville, Florida ,who starts his special education class by calling up each student individually to give them much admiration and a high-five (a gesture of greeting or congratulation ).可知Chris Ulmer每节课会逐个表扬赞赏学生，故选B.

3.B

细节推理题。根据第四段She uses words she wouldn’t have thought of using before. She recently told me about her classmate’s trip to Ecuador and was very proud when I understood her on the first try.可知女儿进步很大，并为我能明白她所说的而高兴，故选B.

4.A

推理判断题。根据倒数第二段We’ve recently started our day by reminding each other of the good qualities we all possess. If we are reminded of our strengths on a regular basis, we will become increasingly confident about progress and success.可知在作者家里每天都互相赞赏，增加进步和成功的自信。故选A.

【名师点睛】

细节理解题属直接解答性问题，是阅读理解题中最简单的一种，多数属中低难度的题。但高考所占的比例大，应特别引起注意。事实和细节题的命题特点是：对文章或某一段落中的一些特定细节或文章重要事实的理解，一般包括直接理解题和语义转化题。直接理解题能在原文直接找到答案，而语义转化题则需要将题目信息与原文信息加工或整理后才能得出结论。

做细节理解题具体方法与步骤如下：

①略读材料，大概了解原文，掌握中心或主旨；

②按文章的体裁，作者写作的组织模式及有关的信息词。如for example, first, second…等预测应该到何处寻找自己所需要的事实；

③将自己精力放在寻找你所需要的细节上。快速通篇跳读，全文扫视，找到细节出处，待找到含细节句子时，放慢速度，仔细核对比较内容，直至找到答案。如小题2考查Chris Ulmer的上课特点，根据第三段Chris Ulmer, the 26-year-old teacher in Jacksonville, Florida ,who starts his special education class by calling up each student individually to give them much admiration and a high-five (a gesture of greeting or congratulation ).可知Chris Ulmer每节课会逐个表扬赞赏学生，深得学生们喜爱和人们效仿。