It was my first year teaching in a special needs class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My   36   had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy（大腦性麻痹）.

Mark was one with the latter. Sitting in a   37  , he had to fight his spasms （抽筋） just to control his movements.   38  , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile.

His classmates   39   him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at   40  . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, free from the limitation of his   41   and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with   42  .

When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas   43   well in their sports events, and gave the normally calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines,   44  them on.

The final event of the day was the 400-meter race.   45   was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the   46   length of the track.

When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they   47   and turned to look behind them. At the   48   of the crowd, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had   49   him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to   50  .

Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a(an)   51   was reached between them. Slowly, they jogged   52   towards their friend, cheering him on   53   he had done for them moments before.

The progress was   54  , but in the end the three star runners and Mark crossed the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face as he crossed the finish line, hands upraised and laughing, I came to understand what  55  the Special Olympics and the determined athletes so extraordinary.

Years later, I’m still cheering them on.

36. A. partners          B. friends          C. students        D. classmates

37. A. bed              B. machine        C. wheelchair      D. desk

38. A. So              B. However        C. Otherwise      D. Therefore

39. A. protected         B. satisfied        C. disliked          D. loved

40. A. sports            B. practice        C. studies         D. expression

41. A. interests          B. body           C. habits          D. mind

42. A. admiration             B. trust           C. stress          D. depression

43. A. trained            B. performed     C. operated      D. prepared

44. A. bringing          B. holding         C. cheering      D. moving

45. A. Someone          B. Nobody        C. Anybody        D. Everyone

46. A. entire                    B. different        C. average         D. equal

47. A. fell                      B. paused         C. rushed          D. rested

48. A. center             B. front         C. end             D. top

49. A. left                B. ig nored         C. passed          D. helped

50. A. continue           B. jog            C. walk            D. cover

51. A. demand            B. agreement     C. action           D. relief

52. A. back              B. along           C. again           D. on

53. A. while              B. although        C. since            D. as

54. A. boring              B. great           C. slow            D. relaxing

55. A. leaves              B. finds           C. keeps          D. makes

It was my first year teaching in a special needs class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My   36   had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy（大腦性麻痹）.

Mark was one with the latter. Sitting in a   37  , he had to fight his spasms （抽筋） just to control his movements.   38  , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile.

His classmates   39   him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at   40  . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, free from the limitation of his   41   and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with   42  .

When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas   43   well in their sports events, and gave the normally calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines,   44  them on.

The final event of the day was the 400-meter race.   45   was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the   46   length of the track.

When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they   47   and turned to look behind them. At the   48   of the crowd, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had   49   him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to   50  .

Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a(an)   51   was reached between them. Slowly, they jogged   52   towards their friend, cheering him on   53   he had done for them moments before.

The progress was   54  , but in the end the three star runners and Mark crossed the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face as he crossed the finish line, hands upraised and laughing, I came to understand what  55  the Special Olympics and the determined athletes so extraordinary.

Years later, I’m still cheering them on.

36. A. partners          B. friends          C. students        D. classmates

37. A. bed              B. machine        C. wheelchair      D. desk

38. A. So              B. However        C. Otherwise      D. Therefore

39. A. protected         B. satisfied        C. disliked          D. loved

40. A. sports           B. practice        C. studies         D. expression

41. A. interests          B. body           C. habits          D. mind

42. A. admiration             B. trust           C. stress          D. depression

43. A. trained           B. performed     C. operated      D. prepared

44. A. bringing          B. holding         C. cheering      D. moving

45. A. Someone         B. Nobody        C. Anybody       D. Everyone

46. A. entire                    B. different        C. average         D. equal

47. A. fell                      B. paused         C. rushed          D. rested

48. A. center             B. front         C. end             D. top

49. A. left                B. ig nored         C. passed          D. helped

50. A. continue           B. jog            C. walk            D. cover

51. A. demand            B. agreement     C. action           D. relief

52. A. back              B. along           C. again           D. on

53. A. while              B. although        C. since            D. as

54. A. boring             B. great           C. slow            D. relaxing

55. A. leaves              B. finds           C. keeps          D. makes

It was my first year teaching in a special needs class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My   36   had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy（大腦性麻痹）.

Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a   37  , he had to fight his spasms （抽筋） just to control his movements.   38  , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile.

His classmates   39   him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at   40  . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, unrestricted by the limitation of his   41   and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with   42  .

When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas   43   well in their sports events, and gave the normally calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines,     44   them on.

The final event of the day was the 400 meter race.   45   was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the   46   length of the track.

When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they   47   and turned to look behind them. At the   48   of the crowd, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had   49   him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to   50  .

Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent   51   passed between them. Slowly, they jogged   52   towards their friend, cheering him on   53   he had done for them moments before.

The progress was   54  , but in the end the three star runners and Mark crossed the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face as he crossed the finish line, hands upraised and laughing, I came to understand what   55   the Special Olympics, and the determined athletes who compete, so extraordinary.

Years later, I’m still cheering them on.

36. A. partners       B. friends          C. students        D. classmates

37. A. bed         B. machine        C. wheelchair      D. desk

38. A. So          B. However        C. Otherwise      D. Therefore

39. A. protected      B. satisfied        C. respected       D. loved

40. A. sports       B. practice        C. studies         D. expression

41. A. interests       B. body           C. habits          D. mind

42. A. wonder      B. trust           C. stress          D. reset

43. A. trained        B. played          C. operated      D. prepared

44. A. bringing       B. holding         C. cheering      D. moving

45. A. Someone      B. Nobody        C. Anybody        D. Everyone

46. A. entire          B. different        C. average         D. equal

47. A. fell            B. paused         C. rushed          D. rested

48. A. center          B. front         C. end             D. top

49. A. left            B. ignored         C. passed          D. helped

50. A. continue        B. jog            C. walk            D. cover

51. A. demand         B. thought         C. action           D. relief

52. A. back           B. along           C. again           D. on

53. A. while           B. although        C. since            D. as

54. A. boring          B. great           C. slow            D. relaxing

55. A. leaves           B. finds           C. keeps          D. makes

D. R. Gaul Middle School is in Union, Maine, a blueberry-farming town where the summer fair finds kids competing in pig scrambles and pie-eating contests.
Gaul, with about 170 seventh- and eighth-graders, has its own history of lower level academic achievement. One likely reason: Education beyond the basic requirements hasn't always been a top priority for families who've worked the same land for generations. Here, few adults have college degrees, and outsiders (teachers included) are often kept at a respectful distance.
Since 2002, Gaul's students have been divided into four classes, each of them taught almost every subject by two teachers. The goal: To find common threads across disciplines to help students create a big picture that gives fresh meaning and context to their classwork -- and sparks motivation for learning.
Working within state guidelines, each team makes its individual schedules and lesson plans, incorporating non-textbook literature, hands-on lab work and field trips. If students are covering the Civil War in social studies, they're reading The Red Badge of Courage or some other period literature in English class. In science, they study the viruses and bacteria that caused many deaths in the war.
Team teaching isn't unusual. About 77 percent of middle schools now employ some form of it, says John Lounsbury, consulting editor for the National Middle School Association. But most schools use four- or five-person teams, which Gaul tried before considering two-person teams more effective. Gaul supports the team concept by "looping" classes (跟班) so that the same two teachers stick with the same teens through seventh and eighth grades. Combining teams and looping creates an extremely strong bond between teacher and student. It also, says teacher Beth Ahlholm, "allows us to build an excellent relationship with parents."
Ahlholm and teammate Madelon Kelly are fully aware how many glazed looks they see in the classroom, but they know 72 percent of their eighth-graders met Maine's reading standard last year -- double the statewide average. Only 31 percent met the math standard, still better than the state average (21 percent). Their students also beat the state average in writing and science. And in2006, Gaul was one of 47 schools in the state to see testing gains of at least 20 percent in four of the previous five years, coinciding roughly with team teaching's arrival.

D. R. Gaul Middle School is in Union, Maine, a blueberry-farming town where the summer fair finds kids competing in pig scrambles and pie-eating contests.
    Gaul, with about 170 seventh- and eighth-graders, has its own history of lower level academic achievement. One likely reason: Education beyond the basic requirements hasn’t always been a top priority for families who’ve worked the same land for generations. Here, few adults have college degrees, and outsiders (teachers included) are often kept at a respectful distance.
Since 2002, Gaul’s students have been divided into four classes, each of them taught almost every subject by two teachers. The goal: To find common threads across disciplines to help students create a big picture that gives fresh meaning and context to their classwork -- and sparks motivation for learning.
Working within state guidelines, each team makes its individual schedules and lesson plans, incorporating non-textbook literature, hands-on lab work and field trips. If students are covering the Civil War in social studies, they’re reading The Red Badge of Courage or some other period literature in English class. In science, they study the viruses and bacteria that caused many deaths in the war.
Team teaching isn’t unusual. About 77 percent of middle schools now employ some form of it, says John Lounsbury, consulting editor for the National Middle School Association. But most schools use four- or five-person teams, which Gaul tried before considering two-person teams more effective. Gaul supports the team concept by “l(fā)ooping” classes(跟班) so that the same two teachers stick with the same teens through seventh and eighth grades. Combining teams and looping creates an extremely strong bond between teacher and student. It also, says teacher Beth Ahlholm, “allows us to build an excellent relationship with parents.”
Ahlholm and teammate Madelon Kelly are fully aware how many glazed looks they see in the classroom, but they know 72 percent of their eighth-graders met Maine’s reading standard last year -- double the statewide average. Only 31 percent met the math standard, still better than the state average (21 percent). Their students also beat the state average in writing and science. And in 2006, Gaul was one of 47 schools in the state to see testing gains of at least 20 percent in four of the previous five years, coinciding roughly with team teaching’s arrival.