Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren; correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her suffering in her later years. At eighty- five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whrr,” she said weakly. “Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whrr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly. Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could gather said, “ Not ...was. Say were!” We suddenly realized that Mom was correcting Brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads.
1.What do the underlined words “went steadily downhill” mean in the 2nd paragraph?
A. went lower and lower B. went worse and worse
C. went down the hill D. went downstairs
2.When Mom said, “Whrr”, what did she really want to do?
A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D. She wanted to give her sons something before she died.
3.Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
A. Mom was a good teacher and never gave up her teaching.
B. Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C. Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.
D. Mom stopped teaching when she was at home.
4.What does the writer think of his mother?
A. He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching.
B. His mother should have forgotten her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C. His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D. His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
Part-time jobs for 15 and 16 years olds
Waiter / Waitress
A job as a waiter or waitress is a good choice for 16-year-olds. Not only can one earn $9-$12 an hour, but they can also get the tips (小费). Most people that visit a restaurant don’t just have good food. They come here to relax and have a good time. Besides serving food quickly, a young waiter who talks to them politely with a smile on his face will make the diners enjoy their time at the restaurant.
Work in a library
If one is fond of books, working in a library is another suitable choice. Besides the pay is good, it offers a lot of free time when students can actually sit down and finish their homework. So on returning home, they would have time to hang around with friends or just relax. So working in a library is an excellent part-time job for teens, especially for school students.
Internet jobs
There are many ways of making money through online jobs like clicking on advertisements, visiting sites and signing up with them. However, such online jobs don’t pay well. A better Internet job for teens is to complete online surveys. These are quite simple surveys that usually ask one about his/ her opinions and ideas. Many companies use these ideas to make products designed for teenagers.
1.What does the writer think of the job as a waiter/waitress?
A. It needs a period of training. B. It pays much more than other jobs.
C. It can improve one’s leadership skills. D. Making diners comfortable is part of the job.
2.A student who is busy with his research paper will probably choose to work ______.
A. in a restaurant B. in a library C. on the Internet D. in an IT company
3.The writer wrote this text to ______.
A. tell us the importance of doing part-time jobs
B. advise teenagers how to choose a part-time job
C. teach young people how to make lots of money
D. introduce his/her experience of doing part-time jobs
4.Why do some companies ask the teens to do surveys?
A. The teens have more free time. B. They can pay less to the teens.
C. They need advice to make products for teens. D. The teens usually express their true opinions.
听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is required to apply for the Camp?
A. Educational background. B. Working experience. C. Foreign language ability.
2.What can people expect to do in the Camp?
A. Live with people from other countries. B. Share a tent with four other people.
C. Meet with people they know.
3.What kind of people does the Camp want?
A. Good cooks. B. Fine organizers. C. Easy-going persons.
4.What should people take to the Camp?
A. A tent. B. A map. C. Pictures.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman’s problem?
A. She doesn’t know how to prepare her presentation.
B. She is afraid of giving her presentation in public.
C. She can’t get her presentation ready in time.
2.Why is the man unwilling to let the woman write a paper?
A. He thinks it’s too late for the student to start over.
B. He doesn’t have the time to grade a paper.
C. He wants to be fair to the other students.
3.What solution does the man come up with?
A. He’ll let the woman give her presentation only to him.
B. He’ll allow the woman to show a recorded presentation.
C. He’ll help the woman prepare her presentation.
4.What is the woman worried about on the man’s suggestion?
A. What her classmates will think. B. Whether it will work well. C. How she can get a camera.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the relationship between the speakers?
A. Father and daughter. B. Husband and wife. C. Classmates.
2.What does the man suggest the woman do?
A. Have a driving lesson first.
B. Use Maria’s car to practice driving.
C. Take part-time jobs to buy a car of her own.
3.What does the woman want for her birthday in the end?
A. Driving lessons. B. A new car. C. An outside dinner.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers?
A. In the woman’s house. B. In a restaurant. C. In a store.
2.What do we know about the man?
A. He found the way without difficulty. B. He took a present to the woman.
C. He is good at cooking.
