第一节
A
Every Wednesday,I go to Cantata Adult Life Services,a localretirement community in Brookfield,Illinois,US,with my classmatesto do community service.
Our visitslast about an hour,and we bring 25—30 students every time. We playboard games and cards with the elderly while we’re there.
You canwatch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life backthen”,but nothing compares to talking to the people who wereactually there. Just hearing their stories has touched me in a wayI never thought possible.
Whether itwas talking to 98-year-old“Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days asa roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she dancedwith a famous actor,I was completely mesmerized by every singlememory the elderly wanted to share with me. Even those who don’thave amazing memories make the experience fulfilling(充实的). Iremember visiting Mrs Robinson. She couldn’t recall much about herpast,but she told me she’d never forget how kind I was just tolisten to her. It made me realize that it’s the little things thatmake life worth living.
If there’sone thing I’ve realized in my three years of visiting Cantata,it’sthat presence——just being there—means more than anything to many ofthem. And despite how busy our lives are,there’s always time tomake someone’s day.
21. Why does theauthor go to Cantata Adult Life Services regularly?
A. To play board games.
B. To visit the elderly.
C. To watch movies.
D. To share stories.
22. The underlinedword “mesmerized” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaningto“_______”.
A.confused B.annoyed C.encouraged D. attracted
23. What may be themost important to the elderly according to the author?
A. Staying with them.
B. The special old days.
C. Showing patience.
D. Amazing experiences.
B
It is goodto get in touch with your inner child from time to time,andobviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chanceto do so in a proper environment. A Brooklyn-based adult preschoolis charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to actlike a kid again.
At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate inshow—and—tell,arts—and—crafts such as finger paint,games likemusical chairs and even take naps. The month-long course also hasclass picture day where the adults are expected to have a fieldtrip and a parent day.
30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos,the brain behind the adultpreschool,studied childhood education and has always wanted to be apreschool teacher. She’s always on the lookout for new ways to getpeople in touch with the freedom of childhood. A friend encouragedher to start the mastermind course instead.
According to Candice,herblogger friend,Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance torelearn and master the things that they failed to understand aschildren. “I realized all the significances of what we learn inpreschool,”said founder Michelle Joni,“People come here and get intouch with their inner child. It’s magical. We are bringingourselves back to another place,another time with ourselves when weare more believing in ourselves,more confident and ready to take onthe world. ”
“Oneperson’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious.”Michelle said. “Another's here to learn to be more confident. ”Sheexplained that most of the classes were planned. However,Joni addedthat while the planned activities were fun,it was often thespontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students. “It’s the thingsyou don’t plan for,the sharing between friends and learning fromeach other. ’’
24. What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?
A. To give adults a chance toreturn to childhood.
B. To help parents understandtheir children better.
C. To provide practicaltraining courses for teachers.
D. To introduce some ways ofplaying with children.
25. What is mainlydiscussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?
A. Itscustomers. B. Itsactivities. C. Its environment. D. Itsschedule·
26. According toCandice,people come to this program to________·
A. enjoy freedom ofthinking
B. realize their childhooddreams
C. discover their innerabilities
D. figure out childhoodpuzzles
27. What do we knowabout Michelle Joni?
A. She used to be a preschoolteacher.
B. She likes to make plans inadvance.
C. She founded PreschoolMastermind.
D. She gained confidence bysharing.
C
MarthaGraham, born in 1894, was one of the most famous dancers andcreators of dance, whose influence on dance has been compared withthe influence Picasso had on the modern visual arts, Stravinsky hadon music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture. She createdalmost two hundred dance pieces. She is often called the Mother ofModern Dance.
Earlier inher life, however, Martha did not know that she would become adancer. At that time, the dancers were looked down on. So Martha'sparents didn't approve of her desire to dance at the beginning.Until 1916, she began her studies at the newly created DenishawnSchool of Dancing and Related Arts, founded by Ruth St. Denis andTed Shawn, where Graham worked very hard to improve her ability todance because she was considered too old to begin dancing.
In 1936,Graham made her defining work, "Chronicle^, which signaled thebeginning of a new era in modern dance. The dance brought seriousissues to the stage for the general public in a dramatic manner.Influenced by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Great Depressionthat followed, and the Spanish Civil War, it focused on depressionand isolation, reflected in the dark nature of both the set andcostumes.
Grahamcontinued to dance past the age of seventy. Once again, she was metwith criticism from people who came to watch her shows. But shedidn't give up. Her last completed ballet was 1990's Maple LeafRag. "A Dancer's World" is an introduction to Graham and her work.She tells about her dances and her dance group shows some of theirmethods.