Passage 4

This semester I began to have a series of teacher nightmares, something that had not happened to me for years, not since my first year of teaching when I was in a perpetual state of dread. I would be rushing to get to class on time, trying to gather up notes from a maelstrom of papers on my desk, not certain what subject we were covering today, indeed not even certain what course I was teaching. My heart was pounding. I was late. I would not find my notes. A hundred people were waiting for me in the classroom, their pens poised to take down my every syllable, and I had nothing to say. Then Mr. Winthrop’s big blonde face with those dark eyes would loom at the door of my office, and with that mocking grin, he would say, “Professor, the class is waiting for you,” and I would faint dead onto the floor. Or sometimes in my dream I would make it to the podium (讲台), start to lecture on some aspect of criminal law or causation, only to have Mr. Winthrop raise his hand, and without even waiting to be called upon, presumably ask a question. Presumably because I could not make out his words. I could see his mouth moving underneath his baseball cap, and muffled sounds resounded in my ears, but I could not understand him. All eyes in the classroom were on me, and my students began to laugh, but not Mr. Winthrop. He continued to move his mouth, and I felt as if I was watching TV with the sound off except that my head was all a buzz with the laughter and the shuffling of feet as my students exited in disgust. Again, I ended the nightmare by fainting dead away onto the floor, and then I would wake up, my sheets damp from desperation. It was enough to make a man get out of bed and mix a drink at four in the morning even if he had the eight o’clock class.

16. From this passage, it is indicated that ______.

A. the first year of teaching is unforgettable and frightening for me forever

B. nightmares have happened to me more often than not since my first year of teaching

C. in my first year of teaching, I was always full of fears

D. as a teacher, I feel uneasy all the time

17. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. I was quite clear about the subject I was to deal with before class.

B. I would give the lectures on time.

C. I prepared the notes carefully before class. However, I forgot to take them with me to the classroom.

D. My heart was beating faster and faster before class.

18. Mr. Winthrop is ______.

A. a presumable student

B. a baseball lover

C. the student who often teases the teacher

D. the student who answers the teacher’s question in a humorous way

19. In my nightmare, it would happen to me except that ______.

A. I sometimes was very calm to see that my students were in disguise

B. when I gave the lecture, Mr. Winthrop was the only student to ask a question

C. I often fall down to the floor losing my consciousness before I woke up

D. I would rather wake up to have a good drink in the early morning than have the nightmare

20. The tone of this passage is ______.

A. provoking B. sensational C. desperate D. profound

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