While I lived in Ireland, part of my college course was to work with children with special needs. I was selected to work in a school with children with disabilities . I had a lot of rooms to choose from, but I chose to work in the room that was for children with severe disabilities. They had no speech and most were in a wheelchair. The teacher of that room asked if I would work with a girl who had epilepsy and other brain disabilities. She was 15 years old. The teacher thought that it was an achievement for her to be able to put on her coat all by herself. I saw more in her. She always wanted to put string through the shaped blocks to make a necklace. For the 5 years she was in the school the teachers always tried to help her but always ended up doing all the work. I knew this smart girl could do more and so I encouraged her. She had a thumb which she could not move but I encouraged her so much to try. She got very upset most days and sometimes I wanted to give up. Finally after a week this young girl was able to do what she had been wanting to do by herself for so many years. Her teacher cried when she saw what this girl was able to do with just some encouragement. I wish everyone would encourage people rather than tell them they can't or do it for them. How did the teachers feel about the girl before the writer came? A) Puzzled. B) Angry. C) Disappointed. D) Worried.
C
You've probably grown accustomed to texting in the glow of a mobile phone screen. Well, there's some good and bad news coming for those of you who spend hours speedily tapping messages to one another. The good news is that the hours you spend face-to-phone are paying off. You may have become fluent in a second language. The bad news, however, is that this language is texting. Worse still, there isn't yet a texting section in your school exams, so you'll need to work harder to recover the grammar skills you might be killing with every LOL and BRB (Be right back). A new study confirms what many parents suspect. The more kids send and receive texts, the poorer their grammar skills become. With "the culture of mobile communication--quick back and forth , there are compromises on traditional, cultural writing", said S. Shyam Sundar, professor of Pennsylvania State University, which conducted the study. "Techspeak", as Sundar and his research partner Drew P. Cingel call it, has become so prevalent among young users that it's changing their foundation of basic grammar. "Routine use of textual adaptations by current and future generations of 13-to-17-year-olds may serve to create the impression that this is normal and accepted use of the language, "they said in their published findings. It seems teenagers are unable to "code switch-shift" between standard grammar and the abbreviations used in text messages, Sundar said. These abbreviations have become the real words for them now. However, linguists aren't particularly disturbed by the trend, Sundar added. "The linguists will tell you the language is very dynamic. " Still, students have exams to worry about. Here's a sample of the questions, so you can test yourself to see how texting has affected your grammar: *During the flood, we (dranked, drank, drunk, drunked) bottled water. *Fortunately, Jim's name was (accepted, excepted) from the list of those who would have to clean bathrooms because he was supposed to go downtown to (accept, except) a... With the sample of the questions at the end of the article, the author intends to _ . A) get teens to attach more importance to grammar exams B) give some useful tips on how to pass a grammar exam C) get teens to find out how much texting has affected their use of language D) prove that teens' routine of texting is changing their understanding of basic grammar
C
Q: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ended their first trip to India on Monday. The First Couple set off on the ten-day tour of Asia on Friday. Obama's goals for the tour are to improve ties between the US and the region, and to promote economic growth and job creation. The President and his team will return to Washington, D.C. on November 14. The Obamas began their trip in Mumbai, India, the financial and economic center of the country, on November 6. There, they met with government officials, business leaders and school groups. Up first on the schedule was a visit to a memorial at the TajMahal Palace and Tower Hotel. Obama's second day in India was lighter than the first. The Presidential visit took place on Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. The five-day religious festival is celebrated each year by Hindus, Sikhs and others. The Obamas spent the holiday visiting with local schoolchildren. On Monday, Michelle Obama joined 15 Indian school girls on a field trip to a museum of Indian craft work. During the tour, the First Lady stressed to the students the importance of education. Most of the children on the trip are the first girls in their families to attend school. Mrs Obama also encouraged the young women to stay fit, telling them that she likes to exercise because "women have to stay strong". Early tomorrow, the Obamas will travel to Indonesia, the country in which the President spent four years as a boy. After that, they will fly to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the Group of Twenty, or G-20, economic summit. The conference brings together leaders from 20 wealthy and developing nations and the European Union. They meet twice a year to address challenges that affect the global economy. The final leg of the tour will be in Japan, where Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. During the field trip to a museum of Indian craft work, the First Lady _ . A) asked why only the first girls could go to school B) told the students the importance of craft work C) explained why women must stay strong D) encouraged the students to study hard
A: D
*Question*
Boys and girls,as we all know,most people,especially young people ,tend to care about their hair much because hair plays a very important role in our appearance.But can you imagine what other uses hair has?Do you have any idea that human hair may become a new solar energy soutce?Before we begin with the new content of our Physics ,let me tell you a new invention first. It's reported that a Nepali teenager has designed a $32 solar panel using human hair. Milan Karki,who is 18 years old and lives in a village in rural Nepal,used human hair to replace silicon ,which is a common but expensive componet of solar panels. By using hair as a replacement,Karki says that solar panels can be produced for around $32,a price that could be halved if they were mass-produced. The solar panel works,because melanin ,which gives hair its colour,is light sensitive and can act as an elecrtical conductor.Kaiki was inspired to think of the idea by a Stephen Hawking book ,which explained how to create elecrtic energy from hair. The device that Karki has invented is capable of producing 9V or 18V of energy--plenty to charge a mobile phone. "Half a kilo of hair can be bought for only 16p in Nepal and lasts a few months;whereas a pack of batteries would cost50p and lasts few nights,"according to The Daily Mail. The solar panel is claimed to be easy to service as the hair is easy to replace. Karki has now seng out several devices to other disrticts near his home for tetimg .He said,"First I wanted to provide elecricity for my home,then my village .Now I am thinking for the whole worle." So next time when you have a haircut,do remember to keep your hair cut down to use for energy.Perhaps you can also provide elecrticity for your home,even your village using your own hair. What's the advantage of using hair as a new solar energy source? A) It is a common but expensive component of solar panels. B) It can create electric energy. C) It can produce energy plenty to charge a mobile phone. D) It is cheap and easy to replace.
**Answer**
D