When I began teaching in a university, I was invited to a workshop for new professors. I had _______a long time learning what to teach, but not learning how to ______ it. Somehow, my university seemed to hope a weekend spent with experienced professors would ______ for that. My colleagues presented well-crafted lectures about the tools they used. I enjoyed their ______, but do not remember a thing they said.
At a coffee break during the lectures, finding myself ______, I turned to a mathematics professor standing nearby. I asked him what his favorite teaching ______ was. “A cup of coffee.” he said, “I talk too much and too fast in the classroom. Students sometimes have trouble ______ me. So when I’ve said _______ that I want my students to think about, I would ______ and take a sip of coffee. It lets what I’ve just said sink in.”
When we were called to the next talk, he put down his cup and I ______ there was not a trace of coffee in it. “My doctor ______ me to stop drinking coffee,” he explained. “So I have always used a(n) _______ cup.” I decided to try his ______ in my class.
I took a cup of coffee with me to my next class. It helped. My pauses, as I ______ the coffee, not only gave my students ______ to think about what I had said, but gave me time to think about what I was going to say next. I began to use my ______ to look around the room to see how my students were reacting to what I had just said. When I saw their ______ wander, I tried to bring them back. When I saw them puzzled over some concept that I thought I had ______, I gave another example. My _______ became less organized and less brilliant, but my students seemed to ______ me better.
1.A. wasted B. cost C. killed D. spent
2.A. manage B. copy C. teach D. consider
3.A. put up B. build up C. take up D. make up
4.A. experiences B. plans C. presentations D. designs
5.A. alone B. absent C. lonely D. awkward
6.A. method B. material C. tool D. skill
7.A. following B. grasping C. seizing D. imitating
8.A. everything B. something C. nothing D. anything
9.A. stop B. pretend C. prevent D. delay
10.A. observed B. noticed C. glared D. proved
11.A. suggested B. protected C. allowed D. advised
12.A. empty B. clear C. large D. false
13.A. discovery B. invention C. magic D. idea
14.A. dropped B. made C. drank D. changed
15.A. space B. time C. room D. schedule
16.A. chances B. pauses C. situations D. conditions
17.A. attention B. focus C. energy D. devotion
18.A. translated B. expected C. explained D. solved
19.A. speeches B. memories C. documents D. lectures
20.A. realize B. understand C. admit D. admire
Most of us lead unhealthy lives; we spend far too much sitting down. If in addition we are careless about our diets, our bodies soon become loose and fatty and our systems slow moving.
1.I am thinking of such features of modern city life as pollution, noise, rushed meals and stress. But keeping fit is a way to reduce the effects of these evils. The usual suggestion to a person who is looking for a way to keep fit is to take up some sport or other. While it is true that every weekend you will find people playing football and hockey in the local park, they are outnumbered a hundred to one by the people who are simply watching them.
For those who do not particularly enjoy competitive sports—2.—there are such separate activities as cycling, walking, jogging and swimming. What often happens though is that you do them in such a leisurely way, so slowly, that it is doubtful if you are doing yourself much good, except for the fact that you have at least managed to get up out of your armchair.
Even after you have found a way for keeping in shape, through sport or gymnastics, 3., because, according to the experts, you must also master the art of complete mental and physical relaxation. 4.Yoga, as practiced in the West, is the most widely known and popular of the systems for achieving the necessary state of relaxation. It seems ironical (讽刺性的), though, that as our lives have improved in a material sense we have found it increasingly necessary to go back to forms of activity—5.—which were the natural way of life of our forefathers.
A. be active and practise Yoga
B. There are some aspects of our unhealthy lives that we cannot avoid.
C. and it is especially difficult to do so if you are not good at them
D. physical effort on the one hand and relaxation on the other
E. they spent most of the time out of doors
F. you are still only half way to good health
G. It has to do with deep breathing, emptying your mind of all thoughts, meditation, and so on.
Which tablet computer should YOU be buying: They are this year’s must have ... and there’s a style to suit everyone.
Best for young children LeapPad Explorer 2, £68
Pros: The education games are well- designed, the built-in video camera is a fun way to play at being a film director. Cons: Some of the games are shockingly expensive. And the power adaptor is not included. | Best for teenagers iPad 4th generation, £399-£659
Pros: No other tablet can compete with the near one million ‘apps’ (the name Apple created for specially-designed downloadable programs) available for the iPad. Simple to use, even for those who usually struggle with technology. Cons: Considerably more expensive than most competitors.
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Best for working parents Microsoft Surface, £399-£559
Pros: The Surface is good for watching movies — a bonus when stuck in the airport on a business trip — and surfing the internet. Cons: The keyboard is an expensive add-on — costing up to £109. It might be cheaper to buy a laptop (though a tablet is much smaller and lighter). | Best for bookworms Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, £109 Nearly all tablets let you download books. It's a great way to take a mountainous pile of hardbacks on holiday without stuffing your suitcase. But most tablets have a shiny screen — which can be very distracting (分心) when you're trying to read. The Paperwhite is different: its matt screen and crisp black lettering imitate the look of words on paper brilliantly. And yet you can still read the words in the dark. Pros: Easy on the eye, excellent battery life, 180,000 free books (if you subscribe to the Amazon Prime customer loyalty service) plus hundreds of thousands more to buy. Cons: No TV, films, games, internet or camera. |
1.The underlined phrase “stumble across” most probably means “_________”.
A. quarrel with B. compare with
C. meet with D. compete with
2.Which of the following about Surface is TRUE?
A. The keyboard can serve as a cover.
B. You have to pay extra to install Microsoft Word.
C. The keyboard will not add to the cost.
D. You cannot watch movies or surf the internet with it.
3.If you are a game lover, which tablet is least likely to be your choice?
A. LeapPad Explorer 2. B. iPad 4th generation.
C. Microsoft Surface. D. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.
Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what’s on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it’s certainly an intriguing way to spend a rainy night in London.
Dans le Noir, close to London’s financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004.
In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the “surprise” cocktails. Bags, coats and devices(设备) that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark.
The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that’s on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it.
It’s also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you’re pouring into your glass.
The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can’t really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations.
All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you’ve just been eating but also who you’ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes.
1.What does the underlined word “intriguing.” in the first paragraph mean?
A. Terrible. B. Interesting.
C. Expensive. D. New.
2.According to the text, “Dans le Noir” __________.
A. is far from London’s financial district
B. has its first branch opened in Britain
C. is very popular among blind customers
D. has a dining room which can seat up to 60 people
3.We know from the text that the customers in “Dans le Noir” _________.
A. are forbidden to eat with their fingers
B. can talk to the strangers at table
C. will look at the menu in a dark bar
D. can take their mobile phones into the dining room
4.What’s the main purpose of the text?
A. To help blind people find a job in restaurants.
B. To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea.
C. To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant.
D. To introduce and attract customers to “Dans le Noir”.
It was a Saturday morning, a day I believed would end in victory. For weeks, I had been preparing for the match at the county fairgrounds, sponsored(赞助) by our local riding club. My horse, Tonka, and I could run faster than any kid in the county, and I hoped to bring home a blue ribbon.
My mother usually drove me to the riding events, but on this day, my father planned to drop us off at the fairgrounds with the horse trailer(马车).
Although we never discussed it, my father’s struggle with alcoholism had become the silent center of our family life. My mother was paralyzed with fear and indecision. Her salary as a part-time nurse couldn’t possibly support four children. No one talked about alcoholism in those days, and it was my family secret.
We climbed on the trailer and my father pulled out of our driveway and headed toward the fairgrounds, picking up speed once we hit the main road. It wasn’t until we felt a big bump that I realized the trailer was out of control. The dream of my riding winner disappeared. Tonka lay on the floor, completely still. No words were possible. I knew he was dead.
Suddenly a man appeared. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yes.” I answered, although I knew that nothing was all right. “Sit here on the grass,” he said. He bent down to look into the trailer. Tonka remained still. He touched Tonka and then turned to face me. ‘‘He is going to be OK. He has just been knocked unconscious.” He rubbed Tonka’s cheeks and gently pulling his ears. Tonka rose to his feet.
Our father was talking to a police officer. He was upset and in pain and took little notice of me. I looked back; the man was gone.
I never forgot him. He gave me strength and a sense of hope in a dark and frightening moment.
1.The writer went to the fairgrounds because he wanted to ___________.
A. take part in a horse racing B. buy Mum a blue ribbon
C. join the local riding club D. train his horse there
2.We can learn from the third paragraph that ___________.
A. the family kept silent at home B. the family lived a secret life
C. Father was addicted to alcohol D. Mum was physically disabled
3.What does “he’’ in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Father. B. The stranger.
C. The horse. D. The winner.
4.What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A. Once formed, bad habits are difficult to break.
B. Unexpected kindness is a light that shines in the darkness.
C. However mean your life is, meet it and live it.
D. Family is a place of encouragement, a safe harbor in the storms.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where is the Sculpture Garden?
A. On Trafalgar Road. B. Opposite the entrance. C. On the left of the bridge.
2.What can people do in the area between the Catering Village and the toilets?
A. Admire artwork out of wood and stone.
B. Appreciate an exhibition of paintings.
C. Buy food and drinks.
3.What is the popular area of the festival?
A. The Craft Market. B. The Sculpture Garden. C. The Catering Village.
4.What is the tradition of the festival?
A. Live bands play throughout the festival.
B. Authors read from their latest works.
C. Actors perform plays.
