Frank looked at us and said, ''My Dad was a fisherman. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. No matter how much my Mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.'' His voice dropped a bit. ''When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had an old truck which was older than he was. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he drove toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!'' He paused and then went on, ''I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, 'No, Dad. I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.'' ''My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him cry. He turned and looked out the windshield . 'You're right,' he said. 'You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss you anymore.'' Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. ''It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats.'' Why would Frank shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear? A) Because he wanted to be kissed by his father. B) Because he was very shy. C) Because he felt very cold in the morning. D) Because staying with his father made him feel embarrassed.
D
(Question)
BEIJING, Oct.14(Xinhua)----A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest, to be held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30. The candidates, aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers, said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest's organizer, here Thursday. All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests held in their own countries. According to the organizer, the competition will have a top prize, five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for "the most liked candidate." It was the third year China has held the contest. "The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures."the statement said. All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese government.said Hu Hangyu, an official with the Education Bureau of the Chongqing Municipality, jointly organizing the contest. They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families, Hu said. "The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chinese learning by foreign youngsters."said Xu Lin.the CLC director. The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002. China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC, the country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272 "Confucius Classrooms" in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004. The text is intended to _ . A) show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world B) introduce an international Chinese language learning test system C) make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning D) report an international Chinese language contest to be held
(Answer)
D
Ques: One day in my class, the children were busy preparing for the coming concert. Suddenly Patty came up to me and said, "Every year I-g-g-g-get to be a quiet student. The other kids are always in a p-p-p-play or something. This year, I w-w-want to recite a p-p-p-poem myself!" Watching her eager eyes, I had no way to refuse her request. So I had to promise her that she would have a "reciting" part. That promise proved to be very difficult to keep. None of my books had any proper poems for her. So I had to spend most of the night writing a poem for her. It was not excellent, but it was enough to cope with Patty's speech problem. From then on, Patty spent a lot of time practicing the reciting every day. With my help, she made great progress. However, an unexpected thing happened when the concert was about to start. The MC came to me with anger, waving his printed program. "There has been a mistake! You have listed Patty for a recitation. That girl can't even say her own name without stuttering." Because there was not enough time for explanations, I said to him angrily, "We know what we are doing." The concert was going very well. When it was time for Patty's recitation, the MC again said that Patty would embarrass everyone. Losing patience, I shouted to him loudly, "Patty will do her part. You do yours. Just introduce her number." The curtain parted to show Patty, excited and confident. In perfect control, Patty uttered each syllable clearly helped by my gestures. At last, she made her bow, with tears in her eyes. The curtain closed. At first silence held the audience, then the silence gave way to warm and lasting applause. Patty threw her arms around me and said to me excitedly, "We d-d-d-did it!" What was the challenge for Patty to prepare for the concert? A) She hadn't enough time to practice. B) She wasn't popular with the students in her class. C) She couldn't recite words clearly owing to stuttering. D) There weren't proper poems for her at all.
Ans: C
Student Membership-----Cambridge Arts Cinema Cambridge Arts Cinema is one of the art houses in Britain and home of the internationally celebrated Cambridge Film Festival. Since 1947 generations of students have discovered the wealth of world cinema. Now you too can make most of it and save money. At the Arts you can... * choose from up to 40 films a month * see up to 8 premieres each month * catch screenings when you like--we open early and close late * increase your knowledge of film with our special events--each year we run seasons on various types of films and directors * meet the filmmakers What _ you _ get _ as _ a _ member: * invitation to a preview screening * PS1 off the standard prices(PS4.50/PS3.50)for any screening including special events * your own copy of each cinema programme mailed free of charge * a card with your own membership number * 50% off membership to the Cambridge Darkroom Gallery So what are you waiting for?Just fill in the form and return it either in person or by post to: Box Office Cambridge Arts Cinema 8 Market Passage Cambridge CN2 3PF It costs PS15 to join and your card can be used from 1st October 2011 to 30th June 2012. Cinema Information:01223 572929 (24hr) Box Office:01223 50444448. For what purpose is the text written? A) Offering students cheaper tickets. B) Announcing the opening of a premiere. C) Telling the public of the cinema's address. D) Increasing the cinema's membership.
D