According to a recent study, there are about 70,000 blind children in Indonesia. Among them, 60 percent were not born blind. Iyehezkiel Parudani is one of them, who lost his eyesight by accident at age six. He now teaches English to blind students at the Pajajaran Special SchooL Iyehezkiel Parudani says learning English can help blind people feel better about themselves. "By learning English, they can be an English teacher, a translator, and a tour guide. " Students read using Braille (盲文). To write, they use special tools, too.
Iyehezkiel Parudani says blind people should not let their physical disability influence their dreams. In 2008 , he got a chance to study at the University of Texas. Two years later, he got a master's degree in course development there.
"In the US, if I go to the university to study, everything is available - like e-books, Braille books. Here in Indonesia, you know, it’s difficult to find a reference book in e-book or in Braille. We have to make it ourselves. In the US, I can move wherever I want because everything designed is really accessible for people with blindness. "
Eha Lestari, one of his star students, says learning English has changed her life. She has already traveled to the US with the help of an Indonesia-U. S. program. "I study English because I love English very much. I want to be a translator because I want to go to the other countries and then I want to meet some people from around the world. "
Like her classmates, Eha loves to sing. Here, music is part of daily life. Even the students who do not study English can sing some American pop songs, such as Stand By Me , "Stand by me. Please stand, stand by me. Stand by me.... "
Iyehezkiel Parudani says the song has special meaning to the students. "In our life, we need other persons. You have to stand by me. Without you standing by me, I'm meaningless. "
1. According to what Iyehezkiel says, learning English can help blind students to ______ .
A. have more chances to get jobs B. visit English-speaking countries
C. get a master's degree easily D. read Braille books quickly
2. The underlined word "accessible" in the third paragraph might mean ______ .
A. fun to use B. easy to reach
C. hard to break D. safe to choose
3. From the last two paragraphs, we can infer (推断) that the students ______ .
A. sang songs side by side B. achieved their dreams
C. had a meaningless life D. needed help from others
4. The best title for the passage may be ______ .
A. A Blind Girl Learning English B. Blind Children Singing Songs
C. A Blind Man Teaching English D. Blind Teachers Living by Me
1A 2B 3D 4C
‘USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?’ We often hear such discussions. As China opens its door, it is a dream for many Chinese students to study abroad. They want to learn about the outside world.
It’s true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Their foreign language skills will be improved and it may be easier to find jobs.
But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language.
Students must also learn to live without parents’ care and deal with all kinds of things they haven’t had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad running into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden(负担)to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who have achieved success through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there, but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think again.
Title: Studying at 56 or abroad | |
Phenomenon(现象) | Studying abroad has become a 57 for Chinese students. |
Advantages | ◆ It is helpful to the future 58 of Chinese students. |
◆ It helps to 59 foreign language skills. | |
◆ It enables Chinese students to find jobs more 60 . | |
61 | ◆ It 62 Chinese students too much time to learn a foreign language. |
◆ It’s hard for Chinese students to get used to the life abroad 63 parents’ care. | |
◆ Parents may be under pressure(压力)because the cost of studying abroad is very 64 . | |
Purpose: To tell us studying abroad is not the only way to be 65 by describing Liu Xiang’s example. |