ASK THE WISE OWL

Q: I’m always late for school. I try not to be, but I can’t help it. Please advise me what to do. Tommy.

A: You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school. My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more, and then you won’t be late so often.

Q: I find it difficult to make friends. What do you think I should do? Sara.

A: I can’t advise you until I know more about you. Yourproblem may be that you are shy. On the other hand, it may be the opposite. You may be too bold. Write and tell me more about yourself.

Q: I’m always at the bottom of the class. What do you advise me to do? Molly.

A: I advise you to concentrate on (专注于) improving your grades in one subject to start with. If you can do this, you should move a little way up from the bottom. Next, try to improve your grades in another subject, and so on. If you concentrate on one subject at a time, by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom in all your classes.

Your Friend: The Wise Owl

1. The Wise Owl thinks that Tommy is always late for school because he________.

A. dislikes his school

B. dislikes his teacher

C. spends too much time studying

D. wants to stay at home all day

2. The Wise Owl wants Sara to_____.

A. stop being so shy

B. stop being so bold

C. make more friends

D. give more information about herself

3. We can infer that Molly may_______.

A. have made many friends

B. have greatly improved her grades

C. be very poor at all her lessons

D. have been working hard at school

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. The school newspaper has an advice column.

B. Tommy wrote to the school newspaper for advice.

C. The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column.

D. The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular.

One of the most popular items in the school newspaper is the advice column. No one knows who writes it. The students think their teacher does, but it might be a student using a false name. The students enjoy thinking up problems for advice column. Here are some of them and their answers.

ASK THE WISE OWL

Q: I’m always late for school. I try not to be, but I can’t help it. Please advise me what to do. Tommy.

A: You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school. My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more, and then you won’t be late so often.

Q: I find it difficult to make friends. What do you think I should do? Sara.

A: I can’t advise you until I know more about you. Yourproblem may be that you are shy. On the other hand, it may be the opposite. You may be too bold. Write and tell me more about yourself.

Q: I’m always at the bottom of the class. What do you advise me to do? Molly.

A: I advise you to concentrate on (专注于) improving your grades in one subject to start with. If you can do this, you should move a little way up from the bottom. Next, try to improve your grades in another subject, and so on. If you concentrate on one subject at a time, by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom in all your classes.

Your Friend: The Wise Owl

1. The Wise Owl thinks that Tommy is always late for school because he________.

A. dislikes his school

B. dislikes his teacher

C. spends too much time studying

D. wants to stay at home all day

2. The Wise Owl wants Sara to_____.

A. stop being so shy

B. stop being so bold

C. make more friends

D. give more information about herself

3. We can infer that Molly may_______.

A. have made many friends

B. have greatly improved her grades

C. be very poor at all her lessons

D. have been working hard at school

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. The school newspaper has an advice column.

B. Tommy wrote to the school newspaper for advice.

C. The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column.

D. The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular.

In 1987, while serving as the public affairs officer at Fort Bragg, I would frequently visit the local high schools to speak to the students about the Army. As a lieutenant colonel(中校), I found it particularly rewarding to talk with the teenagers about the benefits of military service, if only for a few years of their lives.
During one of these visits, I reported to the secretary in the principal’s office to let her know that I was here for the third-period class. I was a little surprised when she told me. “The principal would like to see you before you go to the class.”
As I entered his office, I was greeted by a gentleman who appeared to be in his late thirties, and he welcomed me with a smile and a handshake. “You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.
I looked closely at the face again and could not recall where we may have met before.
“You were my company commander in basic training at Fort Jackson in 1970,” the principal said.
“Let me help you out,” he suggested. “You gave me a three-day pass to go home and see my newborn baby.” I immediately remembered the incident!
“Yes,” I said. “I remember now.” It was the only three-day pass I had issued because the soldiers were on their way to Vietnam immediately after they finished training. But I knew if I did not let him go home to see his son and something happened to him, I would regret denying the opportunity he had to be with his family.
“Come on, Colonel. I’d like to introduce you to ‘the baby’. He’s in your third-period class. By letting me go see him, you gave me a reason to stay focused and to come home safe from that war. Thank you , sir.”
It was the most rewarding class I had ever given, and I had no problem in telling the students about the bonds of friendship and the values that Army life can provide…and that can last a lifetime.

1. 1.

   In the writer’s opinion, talking to teens about the Army is       .

   1. A.
      a forced task
   2. B.
      a pleasant thing
   3. C.
      an unavoidable duty
   4. D.
      an embarrassing experience
2. 2.

   Why did the principal want to see the writer?

   1. A.
      He wanted to send his son to the Army.
   2. B.
      He felt sorry for causing the writer trouble.
   3. C.
      He was disappointed at the writer’s lecture.
   4. D.
      He intended to express his thanks to the writer.
3. 3.

   The underlined part in the text suggests that       .

   1. A.
      the son may die
   2. B.
      the son may become ill
   3. C.
      the soldier may die in the war
   4. D.
      the soldier may be hurt in the training
4. 4.

   What might be the most suitable title for the text?

   1. A.
      A soldier remembers.
   2. B.
      A principal thinks
   3. C.
      A baby grows
   4. D.
      A lecture continues

In 1987, while serving as the public affairs officer at Fort Bragg, I would frequently visit the local high schools to speak to the students about the Army. As a lieutenant colonel(中校), I found it particularly rewarding to talk with the teenagers about the benefits of military service, if only for a few years of their lives.

During one of these visits, I reported to the secretary in the principal’s office to let her know that I was here for the third-period class. I was a little surprised when she told me. “The principal would like to see you before you go to the class.”

As I entered his office, I was greeted by a gentleman who appeared to be in his late thirties, and he welcomed me with a smile and a handshake. “You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.

I looked closely at the face again and could not recall where we may have met before.

“You were my company commander in basic training at Fort Jackson in 1970,” the principal said.

“Let me help you out,” he suggested. “You gave me a three-day pass to go home and see my newborn baby.” I immediately remembered the incident!

“Yes,” I said. “I remember now.” It was the only three-day pass I had issued because the soldiers were on their way to Vietnam immediately after they finished training. But I knew if I did not let him go home to see his son and something happened to him, I would regret denying the opportunity he had to be with his family.

“Come on, Colonel. I’d like to introduce you to ‘the baby’. He’s in your third-period class. By letting me go see him, you gave me a reason to stay focused and to come home safe from that war. Thank you , sir.”

It was the most rewarding class I had ever given, and I had no problem in telling the students about the bonds of friendship and the values that Army life can provide…and that can last a lifetime.

In the writer’s opinion, talking to teens about the Army is       .

A. a forced task                           B. a pleasant thing

C. an unavoidable duty         D. an embarrassing experience

Why did the principal want to see the writer?

A. He wanted to send his son to the Army.

B. He felt sorry for causing the writer trouble.

C. He was disappointed at the writer’s lecture.

D. He intended to express his thanks to the writer.

The underlined part in the text suggests that       .

  A. the son may die                          B. the son may become ill

C. the soldier may die in the war     D. the soldier may be hurt in the training

What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A. A soldier remembers.               B. A principal thinks

C. A baby grows                          D. A lecture continues

In 1987, while serving as the public affairs officer at Fort Bragg, I would frequently visit the local high schools to speak to the students about the Army. As a lieutenant colonel(中校), I found it particularly rewarding to talk with the teenagers about the benefits of military service, if only for a few years of their lives.

During one of these visits, I reported to the secretary in the principal’s office to let her know that I was here for the third-period class. I was a little surprised when she told me. “The principal would like to see you before you go to the class.”

As I entered his office, I was greeted by a gentleman who appeared to be in his late thirties, and he welcomed me with a smile and a handshake. “You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.

I looked closely at the face again and could not recall where we may have met before.

“You were my company commander in basic training at Fort Jackson in 1970,” the principal said.

“Let me help you out,” he suggested. “You gave me a three-day pass to go home and see my newborn baby.” I immediately remembered the incident!

“Yes,” I said. “I remember now.” It was the only three-day pass I had issued because the soldiers were on their way to Vietnam immediately after they finished training. But I knew if I did not let him go home to see his son and something happened to him, I would regret denying the opportunity he had to be with his family.

“Come on, Colonel. I’d like to introduce you to ‘the baby’. He’s in your third-period class. By letting me go see him, you gave me a reason to stay focused and to come home safe from that war. Thank you , sir.”

It was the most rewarding class I had ever given, and I had no problem in telling the students about the bonds of friendship and the values that Army life can provide…and that can last a lifetime.

1. In the writer’s opinion, talking to teens about the Army is       .

A. a forced task                           B. a pleasant thing

C. an unavoidable duty         D. an embarrassing experience

2. Why did the principal want to see the writer?

A. He wanted to send his son to the Army.

B. He felt sorry for causing the writer trouble.

C. He was disappointed at the writer’s lecture.

D. He intended to express his thanks to the writer.

3.The underlined part in the text suggests that       .

  A. the son may die                          B. the son may become ill

C. the soldier may die in the war     D. the soldier may be hurt in the training

4. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A. A soldier remembers.               B. A principal thinks

C. A baby grows                          D. A lecture continues