“Selfie” (自拍) joins ranks of dictionary words.

    In 2002, an Australian man went to his friend’s 21st birthday party. He got drunk, tripped on some steps and cut his lip. He took a picture of his injuries and shared it with his friends on an online forum. “And sorry about the focus,” he wrote, “it was a selfie.” That was the first recorded use of the word “selfie”, according to linguistic experts at Oxford Dictionaries.

On Nov 19, Oxford Dictionaries declared “selfie” Word of the Year for 2013, in honor of the term having taken over the world thanks to millions of smart phone self-portraits and the resulting shares on social media.

    So what does the choice of the word say about our culture? Mary Elizabeth Williams, writing in Salon magazine, says the word reminds us that contemporary culture is defined by our narcissism(自恋).Megan Jackson from a local newspaper points out a selfie may only focus on appearance.

    Selfies invite judgment based on appearance alone. What kind of cultural influence does this have on women? Erin Gloria Ryan on Jezebel says selfies teach young woman to obsess over their appearance and judge themselves on the basis of beauty rather than accomplishments. “They’re a reflection of the warped way we teach girls to see themselves as decorative,” said Ryan.

    In Slate magazine, Rachel Simmons has the opposite view. She argues that selfies are an example of young women promoting themselves and taking control of their own self-presentation. Think of each one, she says, as “a tiny pulse of girl pride —a shout-out to the self”.

21. Which of the following is true about the first use of “selfie”?

  A. The Australian man created it to celebrate his friend’s 21st birthday.

  B. The Australian man created by chance when he got drunk and shared his photo online.

  C. The Oxford Dictionary used it to thank the creation of smart phone.

  D. The social media were so advanced that they made the word transmitted.

22. The underlined word “tripped” in the first paragraph probably means “________”.

  A. traveled                     B. stepped lightly      

  C. fell down                    D. made mistakes

23. Who holds a positive opinion towards selfie in the life of women?

  A. Mary Elizabeth.              B. Megan Jackson.          

 C. Erin Gloria Ryan.             D. Rachel Simmons.   

     About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office, and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: “ Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?”
  Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can’t be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
  My son could not follow the teacher’s directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting

 the class. Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet? He was angry: “ Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home?”
  No, I didn’t speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn’t want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer!    

  What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? “ Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and sent them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?”
   Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of “ those people.” Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.
   As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的)。
   Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places- something very basic and obviously lacking in the “educator” I met in New Jersey.
24. The teacher asked the author to his office________.

  A.to work out a study plan for Scola

  B.to get Scola enrolled in kindergaten

  C.to discuss Scola’s in-class performance

  D.to find a language partner for Scola

   25. The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as __________.

      A.positive    B.critical      C.casual     D.passive

26.This text is likely to be selected from a book of __________.

   A.geography     B.medicine     C.history    D.education

　 This was no ordinary class. The students who came together were all science or engineering professors at Cornell University. They had interrupted their research to accept an invitation to take part in an unusual experiment: “an interesting week of poetry.” This class was part of a study to answer the questions: Why is science difficult for many nonscience students? What can teachers learn about teaching if they take a class that is not in their field?

　　The students in the poetry class listened to lectures and took notes. They had reading tasks and had to write three short papers. All students noticed one thing—the importance of spoken words. In science and engineering classes, the instructors put tables and drawings on the blackboard. But in this poetry class, the instructors just talked. They didn’t write anything on the board.

　　The scientists and engineers noticed one similarity between science and poetry. In both subjects, students need to find layers(层次) of meaning. Some layers are simple, clear, and on the surface;other layers are deeper and more difficult. This search for different levels of meaning doesn’t happen much in undergraduate (本科) science classes, but it is important later, in graduate school. And it is always important in humanities(人文学科).

　　Both the poetry instructors and their students learned something about teaching from this experience. One poetry instructor, for example, now sees the importance of using careful，clear definitions (定义)when he explains a poem. He also plans to be more informative as he teaches. Most of the scientists agreed on several points. First, humanities classes might help science students to see patterns and decide which information is important. Second, the poetry class was fun. One engineer decided, “We need to change the way we teach engineering to make it an enjoyable experience for students.”

　　But perhaps the most important result of the experience was this：All of the professors began to think about how they teach and how they can teach better.

 27. What do we know about this unusual class?

　　A. The teachers did lots of writing on the board.

　　B. The teachers were invited to attend several lectures.

　　C. The students were professors from a university.

　　D. The students were studying science and humanities.

 28. The experiment was designed to find out________.

　　A. how to teach the students in the science class

　　B. whether poetry is difficult for science students

　　C. what to be taught in the humanities class

　　D. why many humanities students find science hard　　

29. Finding levels of meaning is________.

　　A. important for graduate students in humanities

　　B. difficult for graduate students in humanities

　　C. common for undergraduate students in science

　　D. easy for undergraduate students in science

30. What did the science professors learn after the experiment?

　　A. They should change the way they teach.

　　B. A poem could be explained in clear definitions.

　　C. A poetry class could be more informative.

　　D. Their teaching was an enjoyable experience.

 Do’s and Don’ts of Donating

    Giving away your unused or unwanted stuff if a great way to make space in your home for the items that you do enjoy on a regular basis. __31__  Here are 10 do’s and don’ts of donating your belongings.

   Do Prepare Your Clothes.

   You’re thoroughly cleaned out your closet and drawers, and have a mountain of clothing waiting to be donated. Before you bag up these pieces, inspect(检查) each one to ensure that they’re in good condition. Make sure all buttons are accounted for, and that you can’t see any stains（污点）. ___32___.

  Don’t Donate Damaged Items.

  The number one rule of donating your stuff is to make sure that it’s in good condition. Don’t pass along clothes or furniture with rips(裂口) or stains, chipped dishes, books that are missing pages, or toys with lost pieces. __33__ Find a local company that will recycle these items instead.

   Do Donate More than Just Clothes.

   __34__ Stuffed animals, framed pictures, unused candles, small power tools, sports equipment, ornaments, baskets, blender, dishes, glassware, utensils, silverware, pots and pan, curtains, blankets, toasters, mixers, pillows, towels, bed sheets, bikes, and exercise equipment are much sought after donations.

  __35__

   With a little common sense it’s easy to figure out items that are ideal for donations. But unfortunately some people will throw away the contents of their home without a second thought. As a gentle reminder, it’s never a good idea to donate car parts, flammable products, construction materials, weapons, or explosives.

A.Nobody wants to inherit (接手) your damaged belongings. 

B.Food donations are always in need.

C.Don’t Even Think of Donating These Items.

D.Not sure where to start?

E.Don’t Donate Large Appliances（器材）.

F.Clothes aren’t the only household items that can be donated.

G.Wash the items to make them fresh and ready for their new owner.

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或者括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为56~65的相应位置上。

   A 24-year-old Long Island man was charged early Thursday morning after crashing his car and killing his girlfriend while driving over the speed limit. Kevin Daly 　56　 (sentence) to nearly three years in prison after losing control of 　57　 partner Alice Hicks’ car on a country road 　58　 80mph. She was a passenger in the Mini-cooper and was thrown from the car 　59　 he crashed into another vehicle 　60　 (move) in the opposite direction. Daly, 24, denied causing 　61　 (die) by dangerous driving and was found guilty by a jury (陪审团) at Taunton Crown Court. The court heard that neither Daly 　62　Miss Hicks, 22, was wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision that happened on November 17, 2011. NBC New York reports Kevin Daly was driving on County Road 83 when the road was blocked by a truck that was waiting 　63　 (turn) right. Witnesses described 　64　 Daly had little or no chance of stopping behind the still traffic and he turned to avoid the van 　65　 hit a Mazda on the other side of the road.