Several years ago, I taught teenagers with feeling troubles in a group home. These very tough kids often came directly from prison to my classroom. They often wanted to escape from the group home. They were society's "throwaway" kids--youngsters without families to love and care for them. They desperately needed to receive love. Then I found one thing more important for them. So, when a friend suggested an idea, I thought it would be a great program for my students. The plan was simple. We arranged that every Wednesday morning, I'd bring over my little crew, and they were supposed to clean the runs, wash dog and cat bowls, and feed the animals at our local animal shelter. Then came the risky part of the program. After doing their chores, the youngsters would earn the freedom to walk one of the dogs in the wooded area behind the shelter, where I couldn't even see them. We began the project. Each week, I carefully went over the list of students who had met the requirements. All that week, students worked hard to control their tempers and be cooperative. I emphasized how much the animals needed their love and care. As they served the animals, the youngsters were transforming before our eyes. Never before had they been considered contributing members of society. Yet now these kids begged to volunteer at the shelter. As we had planned, my students walked the dogs, unwatched, in the woods for up to half an hour. I impressed on each of them my trust and respect that they'd bring back the animal in their care safely and on time. Remarkably, I never lost a student or an animal. The world might not have needed or might have forgotten about my kids, but the animals didn't. these shining animals showed some very needy kids the way back home from heartbreak and abuse. How did the kids get their teacher's permission to walk the animals? A) By controlling their tempers and learning to be cooperative. B) By escaping from the group home. C) By begging to volunteer at the shelter. D) By trusting and respecting their teacher.
A
Going to sleep may seem pretty boring compared with all the fun things you do while you are awake. But there's a lot going on in your mind and body while you are sleeping. Sleep, in fact, is as important to your survival as eating and drinking. Sleep improves your mood, makes you a better athlete, and helps you remember and understand what you learned during the day. During sleep your temperature drops. Your heart rate slows. Down goes the pressure of the blood moving through your veins. A chemical that controls growth (called a hormone) moves into your bloodstream. Scientists think that sleep brings back energy and improves your immune system. We know what happens while we're asleep because scientists study volunteers who sleep in laboratories. The sleepers are connected with machines that measure brain waves, eye movements and muscle activities. Sleep is like a school day: it's divided into different periods, or stages. When you are awake, your brain waves fire rapidly. As you begin to relax and drift into the first stage of sleep, your brain produces slower-moving waves and you lose awareness of your surroundings. As you slide to deeper sleep, your body repairs itself from the normal wear and tear of daily life. Then, as you begin to drift back up to a lighter sleep, your mind becomes more alert, and your dreams begin. You are in REM sleep. REM is the name for the rapid eye movement that happens while you are dreaming. During REM sleep, your eyes move back and forth behind your lids , as though you were watching a movie. During other stages, you might move in bed, but during REM sleep you're still. That's probably because if you could move, your body would act out your dreams. As you get close to morning, you spend more time in REM than in deep sleep, so you dream more. Researchers know that during REM sleep the part of the brain that handles learning and thinking is very active. Getting too little sleep can affect your personality. Experts recommend that children get at least nine hours sleep a night. Suppose this is the course of your sleep, in which part of the course do you have more dreams? A) Light sleep. B) Deep sleep. C) REM sleep. D) The first two stages of sleep.
A
Q: Many years ago,a French naturalist,the Count de Buffon,wrote some books about natural history.The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them.Some critics said,"Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist." Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World.It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant. This troubled Thomas Jefferson.He too was a naturalist,as well as a farmer,inventor,historian,writer and politician.He had seen the natural wonders of Europe.To him,they were no more important than those of the New World. In 1788,Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state,Virginia.While writing,he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon.At that moment.Jefferson created a new word--belittle.He said."The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic." Noah Webster,the American word expert,liked this word.He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806,"Belittle--to make small,unimportant." Americans had already accepted Jefferson's word and started to use it.In 1797,the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported."He is an honorable man,"the paper wrote,"so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please." In 1872,a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word.He said,"Belittle has no chance of becoming English.And as more critical writers of America,like those of Britain,feel no need of it,the sooner it is forgotten,the better." This expert failed to kill the word.Today.belittle is used where the English language is spoken. What is the main idea of the text? A) How the word"belittle"came into being. B) The argument about natural wonders. C) Every word has a long history behind. D) Noah Webster supported Jefferson's idea.
A: A
Q: Jolly Joe always arrived at my neighborhood at exactly half past noon. The clang of the bell on his red and black truck was then the sweetest sound in the world. Brightly colored stickers advertising his amazing kinds of treats could be found on all sides of his truck. The whole neighborhood would magically come to life. Holding a nickel , I'd run to the back of the vehicle, where children were already gathering. Jolly Joe would jump out of his truck, the sun shining on his hair. He was an older man, short and round, with a pleasant face and a welcoming smile. I don't know how, but he knew us all by name, as well as which treats we preferred. My favorite was the Buried Treasure. By eating all the ice cream, you'd discover the treasure inside: a lion, a dog or even a funny clown -- printed onto a plastic stick. When it was finally my turn, he'd put his arm deep inside one of the boxes, and pause for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. Then, suddenly, he'd pull it out: the Buried Treasure! I couldn't wait to enjoy the cool, sweet ice cream. As quickly as he arrived, it was time for Jolly Joe to go, leaving behind laughing, excited children with sticky hands and faces. Soon the sound of his clanging bell would slowly disappear in the distance. I always hated to see Jolly Joe go, because I knew the rest of the day would be as hot and boring as before. But I took some comfort in knowing that the next day he'd come round the corner at half past noon and once again spread his magic. Why did the author like the Buried Treasure best? A) It gave great pleasure to his pet. B) It was the cheapest of all the treats. C) It contained something very interesting. D) It was the most delicious of all the treats.
A: C