高考英语真题阅读（2）
高考英语真题阅读（2）
 



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 started 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.”

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1.What made Chris nervous?

A Telling a story.

B Making a speech.

C Taking a test.

D Answering a question.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第一段 ... today is speech day, and right now it’s Chris Palaez’s turn和第二段But he’s nervous可知Chris因为要作演讲而紧张，故选B。

2.What does the underlined word “stumbles” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A Improper pauses.

B Bad manners.

C Spelling mistakes.

D Silly jokes.

解析：选A。词义猜测题 根据第二段to tell you today why you should … should … Chris trips on the …可知Chris因为紧张，演讲时说话有点磕巴，故此处stumbles指不恰当的停顿，故选A。

3.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

解析：选A。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.和最后一段boasting about yourself, and your best qualities可推知，Whaley老师发起总统竞选活动是为了帮助学生建立自信，看到自己的优点，strength意为“优点”，故选A。

4.Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher?

A Humorous.

B Ambitious.

C Caring.

D Demanding.

解析：选C。推理判断题 本文主要介绍了Canaan Elementary二年级老师Thomas Whaley发起一项总统竞选演讲活动，帮助孩子们建立自信，看到自己的优点，由此可推知Whaley老师是一个很有爱心、关心学生的老师，故选C。