Jack thought himself a basketball fan. He watched quite a lot of American NBA basketball games. Not only did he watch them, he spent much of his free time playing on the court too. Then came the final year of his middle school. All of his regular teammates stopped showing up on the court because they were simply too busy preparing for the high school entrance exam to play. He was, of course, under much stress himself, like everyone else. A good exam result meant a good high school; a mediocre(平庸的)score meant a mediocre school. Much was at stake. However, he loved basketball so much that he still found time to play, this time with a group of guys who were said to have skipped classes(逃课)before.
Some of his teachers started worrying about him. They asked his mother to go to school to let her know that Jack was hanging out with problem kids. When his mother returned home that day, she wanted to talk to Jack. Knowing the purpose of her visit to the school, Jack thought his mother would punish him for befriending(以朋友方式对待) those bad guys. To his surprise, his mother was not angry with him at all. She wanted to hear her son's side of the story. So Jack told his mother about what he knew of Simon and Peter. Simon's parents were badly ill; Peter's father had lost his job. They both seemed to Jack to be normal kids. Jack's mother thought for a moment, then went on to say that she was OK with her son playing with them and that she and her son should think of ways to help these kids. Soon Jack's mum introduced some part-time jobs to Simon and Peter, which they accepted. She believed in her son and cared about those who were less lucky.
Jack's basketball friends and he have left for different places, but they still keep in touch. He knows Peter is now a manager of a local bank. Simon is currently a freshman at a university. Sadly, it is impossible to get together to play basketball again, but whenever they get on the phone, they talk about it all the time.
( )1. After Jack's mother came home from school, she .
A. was angry with him B. told him what his teachers had said
C. asked him to keep away from problem kids D. was patient enough to listen to her son's words
( )2. What does the underlined sentence "Much was at stake " probably mean in the passage?
A. Jack must be punished by his mother. B. Jack might not enter a good high school.
C. Jack might get hurt when playing basketball. D. Jack must be influenced badly by problem kids.
( )3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Peter's family are living much better. B. Simon is now studying at a university.
C. Jack's mum understood him instead of blaming him.
D. Jack's teachers wanted his mother to help his friends.
( )4. The main idea of the passage is to .
A. make friends with problem kids B. keep in touch with friends all the time
C. try to understand children and help problem kids
D. give up hobbies before the high school entrance exam
1D 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. |