A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not
exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked a- bout Santa, the supply
teacher said out suddenly, "It"s your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst in
to tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fa- thers then complained about the
incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day
last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn"t
exist and it"s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about
Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class -- especially as it was so close to
Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He"s only seven-year-old and it"s part of the
magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he"s fine now. "
"The father described the incident as " shocking" and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by
Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.
| ( )1. A.Fighting ( )2. A.fun ( )3. A.stop ( )4. A.will ( )5. A.reminds ( )6. A.which ( )7. A.far ( )8. A.could ( )9. A.priceless ( )10. A.kept ( )11. A.because ( )12. A.saw ( )13. A.like ( )14. A.up ( )15. A.hall ( )16. A.rolled ( )17. A.at ( )18. A.distant ( )19. A.In all ( )20. A.proud | B.Swimming B.trouble B.make B.do B.warns B.while B.long B.can B.worthless B.forgot B.only if B.heard B.that B.in B.kitchen B.stopped B.before B.nearby B.As a result B.tired | C.Barking C.danger C.get C.did C.tells C.as C.old C.should C.valuable C.deserted(遗弃) C.even if C.watched C.as if C.away C.bedroom C.caught C.till C.silent C.At last C.ashamed | D.Running D.difficulty D.have D.would D.suggests D. when D.heavy D.would D.important D.remained D.in case D.caught D.at least D.down D.porch D.broken D.during D. busy D.After all D.doubtful |
| 阅读理解。 | |||
| The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs" story about death. When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you"ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Remembering that I"ll be dead soon is the most important tool I"ve ever encountered (遇到) to help me make the big choice in life. About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors" code for preparing yourself to die. I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another biopsy(活组织检查) and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I"m fine now. This was the closest I"ve been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Your time is so limited that you shouldn"t waste it repeating someone else"s life. Don"t be trapped by dogma (教条)----which is living with the results of other people"s thinking. Don"t let the noise of others" opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. | |||
| 1. The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because _____. | |||
| A. he had to rest at home B. his disease was not serious at all C. his disease couldn"t be cured D. he had to wait for the result of the test | |||
| 2. How did the author feel after the diagnosis? | |||
| A. Angry B. Excited C. Optimistic D. Hopeless | |||
| 3. What does the author think of death? | |||
| A. He thinks it is nothing to be scared of. B. He thinks it is not the end of life. C. He thinks it is impossible to avoid. D. He thinks it is the beginning of a new life. | |||
4. In the author"s opinion, we should _____. | |||
| A. follow others" advice B. take no notice of diseases C. take exercise and keep healthy D have the courage to follow our heart | |||
| 任务型读写。阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格中填入恰当的单词。 注意：每个空格只填入一个单词。 | |||
| About six years ago, I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn"t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, " So, how have you been?" And the boy---who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied, "Frankly, I"ve been feeling a little depressed lately." This incident (小事) stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I hardly found out we were " depressed" until we were in high school. The evidence of changes in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don"t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to. Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why? Human development is based not only on natural biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in gradual stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders. In the past 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (提示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation (诱惑), many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures. Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials. | |||
| Title: (1)_____ in Today"s Children Main comparisonsContexts Different(2)_____ Children in the past just did what they were(3)_____ to. Children today act as if they were (4)_____. Different(5)_____ Children in the past(6)_____ experienced depression in the author"s view. Sometimes sadness (7)_____ to children nowadays. Different (8)_____ to get knowledgeChildren in the past got knowledge in (9)_____ and guided stages. Children nowadays get some knowledge by (10)_____ TV without control. | |||
| 完形填空 | |||
| The car, running along the welllit road now sank in darkness. I broke the _1_ on purpose, _2_ that the driver was too tired to drive. "When do you go back home in the evening?" "9 o"clock after this __3 _." "Then when do you come out in the morning?" I _4_ another question. "9 o"clock, too-just as if I worked at an office." His _5_ surprised me, because every time I ride a taxi, what I 6 from the driver are only complaints that they have to work from morning till night, it"s hard to earn money, they"re often 7 by the police, or that their leaders are seated lazily, 8 the fruits. But this driver told me, "I find it 9 to be a section chief as I was before. I like driving just for 10 . It"s fortunate that I hardly drive 11 a passenger. So I earn two or three thousand yuan a month with ease. Yes, I never 12 an empty taxi. If it goes southward, I go northward. If it goes along a 13 , I turn into a narrow street..." His words showed his 14 with his life and the pride he 15 in his job. Such feelings are so rare among people nowadays as oxygen in high 16 . As an ancient saying goes, "Neither joy in material 17 nor grieve (悲痛) over personal setbacks." How many people nowadays can show high ideals by 18 living and go far with a calm mind? I couldn"t help feeling 19 when finding such a state of mind in a stranger on a cold 20 . | |||