A
(2019·全国卷Ⅰ)For Canaan Elementary's second grade in Patchogue, N．Y., today is speech day, and right now it's Chris Palaez's turn. The 8yearold 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 nonnative 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 secondgrade 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.”
篇章导读：本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了小学教师Whaley通过组织学生演讲来帮助学生增强自信的教学实践。
1．What made Chris nervous?
A．Telling a story. B．Making a speech.
C．Taking a test. D．Answering a question.
答案：B 细节理解题。根据题干中的关键词“nervous”可定位到第二段第一句，并结合第一段中内容可知，今天是演讲日，现在轮到了Chris，虽然他看起来像那种喜欢在公共场合讲话的孩子，但是他很紧张。由此可知，演讲使Chris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.
答案：A 词义猜测题。根据第二段中的“you should ... should ...”以及“... Vote for ... me ...”这样的语句特点可知，Chris的演讲不流畅，也就是说有不适当的停顿。这是他表现不好的地方，与画线词后的句意“他完成得非常好”构成转折关系，与短语except for的语意相呼应。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
答案：A 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段最后两句可知，Whaley创办这个项目的目的不仅仅是让学生学会阅读和在公共场合演讲，他还希望学生学会自夸。A项意为“帮助学生看到自己的长处”，与原文意思相符。故选A。
4．Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher?
A．Humorous. B．Ambitious.
C．Caring. D．Demanding.
答案：C 推理判断题。文章介绍了Whaley老师通过创办“总统竞选项目”，组织学生演讲来帮助学生增强自信。根据第二段中的“whispering support”和“... Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him”等细节也可看出Whaley老师是一个关心学生的老师。故选C。
