Cirquedu Soleil(Say it:Serk du So-lay )is being accused of out-dated thinking about the dangers of AIDS. Itis a modern acrobatic circus from Canada that tours in the United States andother countries.
Last April,the company fired Matthew Cusick because he was HIV positive.This was after he spent four months learning his part in an act.
A spokesman for the circus said Cusick was fired for safety reasons.They said he was a danger to others.
He disagreed.
Hundreds of people picketed a show in San Francisco. They said thatfiring him was not legal.
Cusick says the company knew he was HIV positive when they hired him. Itwas not fair to let him put so much time into learning his act, and then firehim before he performed. He says he is not a danger to others. People can onlyget AIDS if infected blood contacts another person´s blood, or open wound. Thecompany says what their acrobats do is very, very dangerous. They performtricks without nets. Someone might fall and get hurt. It could be bloody. Theysay it is too risky to let a person with HIV take part in an act.
People who run the circus say it hurts tobe accused of discrimination. Matthew Cusick says he feels hurt that he can´tperform in the big blue and yellow tent.
Dozens of artists, actors, writers andentertainers got involved in protesting the firing of Matthew Cusick. Somenames you might know are: the Actors´ Equity Union (45,000 members ), Rosie O´Donnell,Rod McKuen, and Chad Allen. They also protested at a showing in Orange County.They said "HIV discrimination is unacceptable. "
第44题单选 Matthew Cusick
A.believes he was fired illegally
B.says he was not HIV positive
C.understands why he had to be fired
D.lives in San Francisco
第45题单选 Protestors claimed it was wrong tofire Matthew Cusick merely because he was __
A.a very good acrobat
B.not sick
C.unable to find other work
D.HIV positive
第46题单选 Cirque du Soleil officials said theirtop concern was
A.regulations against job discrimination
B.the safety of other performers and theaudiences
C.doing the right thing
D.making a lot of money
第47题单选 Acrobats and gymnasts are in danger ofhurting themselves in Cirque du Soleil perform ances because
A.they haven't practiced enough
B.the equipment is in need of repairs
C.they perform risky acts withoutnets
D.some are HIV positive
Toppingthe class academically was certainly an advantage. Studying was a breeze forNigel. The reward was certainly incomparable to the little effort that he hadto put it. It began when he was selected to help the teachers in the computerlaboratories.
The peak of his school career came not when he topped the school butwhen he was selected for the nationwide competition. Unlike everyone else,Nigel wanted to join the contest because he liked playing with the Lego setsand making something out of them. Nigel spent the next two months rebuildinghis robot. It was during the time that Nigel found out about the prizes for thecompetition as well as another competitor, Alicia, from a neighboring school.His early intentions were forgotten.Getting the thousand-dollar prize was moreimportant than anything else. Nigel decided to befriend
Alicia. Unaware of his intentions, shetold him all about the robot that she had been building for the competition. Heeven helped her to put the finishing branches to her robot. He was glad withthe way things had progressed. His robot looked even better than Alicia´s andit was able to bounce a ball with its arm, something Alicia had failed to do.
On the day of the competition, he saw Alicia. Everything dawned onher the minute she saw him among the competitors. She stared at him, puzzled atfirst, then angry and finally a look of helplessness came over her.Theflashbulbs of the camera exploded in Nigel´s face. The robot had performedactions so unique and different that the specialists´ judgments were the same.Nigel was so pleased with himself that he did not even notice the girl standinga few feet away from him. Without her, he would never have won the competition.
第48题单选 What reward did Nigel receivefor doing well in his school work?
A.He was offered a part-time job.
B.He was honored with a scholarship.
C.He helped his teacher construct arobot.
D.He helped in the computer laboratories.
第49题单选 Nigel´s original intention of joiningthe contest was to __
A.be the top student of the school
B.bring great honor to his school
C.constructs a robot with the Lego"sets
D.win the thousand-dollar prize
第50题单选 Why did Nigel help Alicia finish herrobot?
A.He tried to make friends with her.
B.He was fond of building robots.
C.He intended to help her.
D.He didn't want her to suspect him.
第51题单选 What is the author´s attitude towardsNigel´s actions?
A.He is mildly critical.
B.He is strongly critical.
C.He is in favor of them.
D.His attitude is not clear.
Itwas a case of emergency. The four-year-old girl awoke and smelled smoke. Shecouldn´t wake her mother, so she dialed"zero". An operator immediately called the fire department. Help wassent,
and a tragedy avoided.
Days before this emergency, the mother had taught her child how totelephone for help. Children as young as two and one-half years old can betaught to use the phone in emergency situations. Here are some points.
Memorizing certain facts is important. Teach your children theirnames, and the section of town where you live. Try to keep what they learnwithin their abilities. Simple information, learned well, is better thandifficult information only partly learned.
Be sure your children know how to use the telephone. They shouldbe taught to dial "zero"for the operator,at the very least. And theyshould be taught to dial "911" if it is used in your town.
Practice over aperiod of several days. Over-learning is necessary so the child can actautomatically in case of emergency.
If you wouldlike a booklet giving instructions on calling for help, write Telephone ForHelp,Box 99, Bowling Green Station, New York, NY 10004.
第52题单选 Based on thispassage,over-learning is good because
A.simple information is used
B.children should know their names
C.it helps children actautomatically
D.difficult information is only partlylearned
第53题单选 Paragraph 4 talks about dialing"911". This number is probably
A.the operator
B.an emergency number
C.a practice number for children
D.used to keep children calm
第54题单选 One thing the passage does NOT tellyou to do is
A.call your neighbor
B.practice several times
C.teach children how to use the telephone
D.have children memorize some simplefacts
第55题单选 What is the main idea of the passage.
A.Give instructions on calling for help.
B.Partly-learned information is useless.
C.Teach children how to deal withemergencies.
D.Keep what children learn within theirabilities.
2017成考报名：2017年成人高考报名时间/入口
2017通关计划：2017年成人高考81天备考复习通关计划
