Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.

Thank you. You've given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I'm doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.

This is why you're saving my life.

Yours,

Tanis

56. why did't Tanis go to college after high school?

A.She had learned enough about computer science

B. She had more difficulty keeping foucesed

C.She preferred taking online courses

D.She was too slow to learn

57. AS for the working environment,Tains prefers____.

A .working by herself

B.dealing with the public

C.competing against others

D.staying with ADHD students

58.Tanis wrote this letter in order to_____.

A.explain why she was interested in the computer

B.share the ideas she had for her profession

C .show how grateful she was to the center

D.describe the courses she had taken so far

B

Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪)

Natalie Doan,14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It's the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.

On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie's family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city's bridge closed.

When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie's friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie's school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.

In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.

“My mom tells me that I can't control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”

Natalie's choice was to help.

She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to halp. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick's collection was replaced.

In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.

Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can't imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”

59.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane ,she found______.

A.some friends had lost their lives

B.her neighborhood was destroyed

C.her school had moved to Brooklyn

D.the elderly were free from suffering

60.According to paragraph4,who inspired Natalie most?

A.The people helping Rockaway rebuild

B.The people trapped in high_rise building

C.The volunteers donating money to suevivors

D.Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people

61.How did Natalie help the survivors?

A.She gave her toys to the kids

B.She took care of younger children

C.She called on the White House to help

D.She built an information sharing platform

62.What does the story intend to tell us?

A.Little people can make a big difference

B.A friend in need is a friend indeed

C.East or West,home is best

D.Technology is power

C

California Condor's Shocking Recovery

California condors are North America's largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines an d lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.

In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.

Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don't see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.

So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.

Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.