I was living with my grandparents at the time. Our grandparents had recently retired. While they’d managed to save enough to buy a home, they were short on living expenses.
So, our grandfather took a job as doorkeeper of the Java school building. Keeping the entire building clean was a stressful job for one man. Realizing this, I began helping him after school, sweeping rooms and emptying waste baskets, for a small wage.
When winter arrived, he fired up the school’s furnace (火炉). He quickly realized how difficult it had become for him to shovel (铲) the huge pile of coal chips required to fill in the furnace. I volunteered to take on that job, a commitment that required me to set my alarm clock an hour earlier each morning. I’d go over to the school, and shovel a half ton of coal, enough to keep the fire burning for 24 hours. After finishing that task, I’d go home, change clothes, and eat breakfast. Then I’d head back to school, always at the last minute.
It was during those morning rushes to school that I discovered my superpower. On two mornings, at the very instant I stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the school, the first bell rang. That was the signal for students to head to class. This astonishing coincidence caused me to improve my precision. I carefully planned each phase of my morning activity. I paced myself. Often I’d step onto the school’s sidewalk just as the first bell rang. This accomplishment gave me enormous pride — and some strange feelings.
Decades later, at a school reunion, I happened to meet Harold Spiry, who had been in charge of ringing the bell by pressing a button in his office. I couldn’t resist boasting (吹嘘). I told Mr. Spiry about how well I had ordered my complex morning work back then, how my timing had been faultless. “Oh that,” he said. “Do you recall that my office windows looked out over the front of the building? I often saw you coming. And when you hit the sidewalk, I’d ring the bell.”
【小题1】What does the underlined word “this” refer to?| A．Grandparents’ lack of living expenses. |
| B．Granddad’s retiring as a doorkeeper. |
| C．Grandparents’ saving money to buy a house. |
| D．Granddad’s hardships in cleaning the whole building. |
| A．To avoid being late for school. | B．To help his granddad clean classrooms. |
| C．To fill coal into the school’s furnace. | D．To volunteer to empty waste baskets. |
| A．He had the ability to be on time. | B．He was good at morning activities. |
| C．He could do things at his own pace. | D．He could fire up the furnace alone. |
| A．Proud. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Regretful. |
How are you? It has been several weeks since I heard from you. I have been missing you a lot these days, so I think I should find out how you are doing. Hope this letter finds you in the best of health. Things here are fine, though they seem to be a little boring now without you.
Since school started, I have made some new friends who are great company（陪伴）. But I keep remembering what a great time we had during our summer vacations. Those long rides in the woods, often shopping at the mall and our video game matches were all so much fun. Things here are a little different, and it is going to take me some time to get used to them.
I have some great professors who make classes very interesting. I actually look forward to doing my homework for these classes. However, there are some really boring science classes that I just don’t seem to enjoy. They all sound so difficult, but I have to learn them. A few years later, I am going to drop these subjects forever! The good thing is that all the friends I’ve made feel just the same way about these science classes.
How have things been with you? How about your school and all those great friends you keep talking about? Did you join that guitar class you wanted to so badly? Look forward to hearing from you.
By the way, Dad has bought me the latest video game controller. It is really amazing! Waiting for you to come back here so that we can have some more video game matches!
Yours truly,
Aaron
【小题1】What does Aaron probably think of his life in the school?| A．Rather terrible. | B．A little bit dull. |
| C．Quite hard. | D．Fairly exciting. |
| A．He didn’t get along with his new friends. |
| B．He enjoyed a great summer vacation with Laura. |
| C．He has already got used to his new school life. |
| D．He enjoyed all of his new classes. |
| A．does not like the science professors |
| B．has too much homework for these classes |
| C．finds these classes very hard to understand |
| D．finds they are of no use in the future |
| A．Her school life and friendship. | B．Her science classes and the professors. |
| C．Her summer vacation. | D．Her video game matches. |
| A．They are in the same school now. | B．They write to each other every week. |
| C．They both like playing video games. | D．They will take the guitar class together. |
Today was a really big day for me. The last time I spoke in class was three years ago and it was terrible. I tried to say the letter “W” and made that strange sound. Everyone laughed and I haven’t spoken in class since.
But it’s been going really well lately. I’ve got a great doctor and I’m allowed to use my computer in class all the time. And guess what? This is really big news! When I listen to music on my headphones I can speak without stuttering (结巴)! That’s why I agreed to talk at the science fair today.
So I arrived at school early this morning to practise with my group. Our project is about using bacteria (细菌) to eat plastic. Unfortunately, when it was my turn to speak, I was so nervous that I chose the wrong music on my MP3 player. So instead of Mozart I was listening to my dance collection. The problem is that when I have dance music on the headphones I can’t stop myself talking in the same rhythm (节奏) as the music. So it just sounds like I’m rapping (说唱)!
Most people in school had never heard me speak before. They were really surprised when I started doing a rap about bacteria that eat plastic. I could see they were laughing at me. But when I finished they all stood up and cheered.
After we finished, everyone wanted to know me. They didn’t know about my secret use of the music on my headphones, so they just thought I was a great rapper! I checked my phone at lunchtime and I’ve got 187 new friend requests!
【小题1】How did the author get through his school life for the past three years?| A．He refused to speak in class. |
| B．He made lots of friends in school. |
| C．He spent much time practising speaking. |
| D．He took part in many after-school activities. |
| A．The author’s doctor. | B．The music of Mozart. |
| C．The famous rapper. | D．The author’s MP3 player. |
| A．He gave a speech. | B．He danced to the music. |
| C．He did some scientific research. | D．He said thanks to his classmates. |
| A．Worry. | B．Regret. | C．Joy. | D．Doubt. |
What’s better: private school vs public school? Choosing which school to send your children to can be a very hard decision to make.
Ask about testing scores. Students at private schools tend to outscore public school students on standardized tests, which can affect your child’s ability to get into college.
Tour the school. Before you even begin to choose between a public or private one, you’ll need to schedule a tour of the school you’re interested in. Do the students look happy and engaged? Are the learning spaces bright and clean?
Don’t put too much stock in online ratings.
In a word, knowing what matters to you in terms of the differences between public and private education can make your decision a little easier.
| A．The final decision is yours. |
| B．Take into account class size. |
| C．Some practical actions can help a lot. |
| D．However, there is some debate about this. |
| E．You can learn a lot about these when you visit. |
| F．Same schools might have unfavorable comments. |
| G．Decide how important private schools are to your child. |
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