2019年全国1卷
B
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.
答案解析：
24. B 根据第二段第一句“But he’s nervous.”和第二句“I’m here to tell you today why you should … should…”可知，Chris在演讲时感到紧张。因此，B选项“做演讲”是让Chris感到紧张的原因。
25. A 根据第二段中的“Chris trips on the ‘-ld,’ a pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers.”可知，Chris在发音上遇到了困难。下文中的“stumbles”与“trips”意思相近，都是指在演讲中的停顿或绊倒，这里指的是不恰当的停顿。因此，A选项“不适当的停顿”是“stumbles”所指的内容。
26. A 根据最后一段中的“He wants these kids to learn to boast about themselves.”和“Boasting about yourself, and your best qualities…is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”可知，Whaley的项目目的是让学生们学会夸耀自己，看到自己的优点。因此，A选项“帮助学生看到他们自己的优点”是Whaley项目目的的推断。
27. C 根据文章中Whaley在Chris演讲时的行为(“Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him.”)和Whaley对学生的期望(“He wants these kids to learn to boast about themselves.”)可知，Whaley是一个关心学生的老师。因此，C选项“关心的”最能描述Whaley作为老师的特点。
