For Canaan Elementary’s second grade in Patchogue, N.Y., today is speech day, and right now it’s Chris Palaez’s turn. The 8-year-old is the joker of the class. With shining dark eyes, he seems like the kind of kid who would enjoy public speaking.
But he’s nervous. “I’m here to tell you today why you should … should…” Chris trips on the “-ld,” a pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers. His teacher, Thomas Whaley, is next to him, whispering support. “…Vote for …me …” Except for some stumbles, Chris is doing amazingly well. When he brings his speech to a nice conclusion, Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him.
A son of immigrants, Chris stared learning English a little over three years ago. Whaley recalls(回想起) how at the beginning of the year, when called upon to read, Chris would excuse himself to go to the bathroom.
Learning English as a second language can be a painful experience. What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes. “It takes a lot for any student,” Whaley explains, “especially for a student who is learning English as their new language, to feel confident enough to say, ‘I don’t know, but I want to know.’”
Whaley got the idea of this second-grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president. The answer broke his heart. Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public. He wants these kids to learn to boast(夸耀) about themselves.
“Boasting about yourself, and your best qualities,” Whaley says, “is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”
24．What made Chris nervous?
A．Telling a story. B．Making a speech.
C．Taking a test. D．Answering a question.
25．What does the underlined word “stumbles” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A．Improper pauses. B．Bad manners. C．Spelling mistakes. D．Silly jokes.
26．We can infer that the purpose of Whaley’s project is to _________.
A．help students see their own strengths
B．assess students’ public speaking skills
C．prepare students for their future jobs
D．inspire students’ love for politics
27．Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher?
A．Humorous. B．Ambitious. C．Caring. D．Demanding.
24．B
25．A
26．A
27．C
【解析】
【分析】
本文属于记叙文。文章讲述了纽约一所小学二年级的老师树立信心，看到自己的优点，发起一项总统竞选演讲活动。
24．细节理解题。根据第一段today is speech day和本段最后一句with shining dark eyes, he seems like the kind of kids who would enjoy public speaking. 以及第二段第一句But he’s nervous.可知，Chris眼睛黑亮，似乎是那种喜欢公共演讲的孩子，但是他却很紧张，故可知Chris是因为做演讲紧张，故选B。
25．词义猜测题。根据第二段“I’m here to tell you today why you should … should…” Chris trips on the “-ld,” a pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers.以及后文except for some stumbles, Chris is doing amazingly well.可知，Chris发ld比较困难，这对于英语不是母语的学习者来说都是一个困难，总体来说Chris做得出奇的好。根据前文可知，ld发音困难，故推知是有些结巴，停顿不准确，故选A。
26．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public. He wants these kids to learn to boast about themselves.以及最后一段“Boasting about yourself, and your best qualities,” Whaley says, “is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”可知，这个课程不仅仅教孩子阅读以及公共演讲，还要让孩子学会夸耀自己，而夸耀自己对于那些进入教室没有信心的学生来说很困难，故可知Whaley老师这么做是为了帮助学生认识自己的优势，培养自信，故选A。
27．推理判断题。根据倒数第二段Whaley got the idea of this second-grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president.和最后一段He wants these kids to learn to boast about themselves.可知，当他有一天问学生认为自己当不了总统请举手的时候，想到了一个想法，这个课程就是帮助学生树立自己的信心，故可以看出这位老师很关心学生的成长。A. Humorous幽默的；B. Ambitious有雄心壮志的；C. Caring关心的；D. Demanding要求高的。故选C。