My son and a bunch of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald’s on report card day last year. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A’s, and Laurie got a cell phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she’s only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $ 10 for each A.”
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell phone, and the portable DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes — no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal attained by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns, runs-batted-in? What about orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I’d be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that’s about it.”
Don’t you just hate that? We’re all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation.
46．Why did the writer suddenly become concerned?
A．Because many kids were getting very good grade at school.
B．Because he was worried about the current reword system.
C．Because he wasn’t making enough money to buy things for his kids’ good grades. D．Because kids were having too many parties after school.
47．The underlined sentence “As the homework load increased, my income would decrease.” (in
Paragraph 3) probably means that _________.
A．taking care of the children would influence my work
B．I would spend more money on my children’s homework
C．reducing children’s homework load would cost me a lot
D．more rewards would be needed as the children grew up
48．The example of the author’s neighbor shows that _________.
A．pizza is the best way to encourage children
B．the author’s neighbor was very poor
C．reward is not the only way to encourage children
D．the son of the author’s neighbor’s didn’t like reward
49．It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A．children would think that you should if you pay them for good grades
B．children would work harder if you buy them pizza for good grades
C．children would not ask for rewards when they enter high school
D．children would not ask for rewards when they enter university
50．What is the author’s attitude toward paying children reward for good grades?
A．Helpful. B．Uncertain. C．Unpleasant. D．Unknowable.
Situated in the Northeast region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is made up of 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. The concentrated zone of stone islands is famous for its spectacular scenery of caves, and forms the central zone of Halong Bay.
Seen from above, Halong Bay looks like a geographic work of art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a wonderful world. There is Man’s Head Island, which resembles a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon winding above the blue water. La Vong Island resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which are all astonishingly like their names.
It has been proven by scientists that Halong Bay was one of the first places of human existence. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of coral reefs, and tropical forests, which are home to thousands of species of animals and rare plants.
The beach located along the coast of Halong Bay has a year-round average temperature of 20℃. Among the palm trees are large hotels. Visitors are seen on white sand and under the green trees are small family-run restaurants. After swimming, tourists can enjoy cold drinks. No wonder the 18h meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of worldwide importance.What forms the central zone of Halong Bay?
| A．1,969 islands of various sizes. |
| B．The concentrated zone of stone islands. |
| C．989 islands that have been given names. |
| D．Man’s Head Island. |
We can infer that the names of most islands ______.
| A．have something to do with theirs shapes. |
| B．were given by the visitors in Halong Bay |
| C．were given by the geologists of Vietnam |
| D．are related to their history |
The author writes the passage mainly to_______.
| A．tell some information about the history of Vietnam |
| B．introduce the average temperature in Vietnam |
| C．introduce the beach of Vietnam |
| D．tell readers something about Halong Bay |
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%--40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warms that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the markers will bring the product to market within about a year. According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
| A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents |
| B．has gone through testing at laboratories |
| C．aims to prevent drivers from sleeping |
| D．has been on sale for 12 months |
How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
| A．By sounding a warning. | B．By touching the wristband. |
| C．By checking the driving time. | D．By pressing the steering wheel. |
We can learn from the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ________
| A．About 400 milliseconds | B．below 500 milliseconds |
| C．over 500 milliseconds | D．about 4 minutes |
When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
| A．moves more regularly | B．stops working properly |
| C．opens the window for the driver | D．sounds more frequently and loudl |
A student and his teacher were walking through the forest. The student was disturbed(扰乱) by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest（不安）. He asked his teacher, “Why most people’s minds are restless, and only a few have a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind ?”
The teacher looked at him, smiled and said, “I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away denovo”. This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered, "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?" The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed(沉湎于) in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew（咀嚼）it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
The student's eyes opened wide and smile rose on his face. "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".
"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind". How did the elephant drive the fly away?
| A．With its long tail. | B．With its long ears. |
| C．With its strong legs | D．With its long trunk. |
The reason why the elephant stayed calm and still was that _______.
| A．it didn’t have a sense of direction |
| B．it was too heavy to move around like the fly |
| C．it paid much attention to things around it |
| D．it concentrated (集中) on what it was doing |
The underlined word “denovo” in the second paragraph probably means _______.
| A．in total | B．in common | C．once again | D．as usual |
The main purpose of the passage is to tell the readers _______
| A．the relationship between the mind and attention |
| B．how to make use of the five senses |
| C．people should stay calm and still |
| D．only the elephant can control the mind and attention |
The spread of worsening international financial crisis has seriously affected world economic growth and stability. The ongoing financial crisis is rarely seen in history. Countries and organizations have taken measures in response, and we hope these measures will produce the desired results soon. Countries in Asia and Europe are an important force for international financial stability and world economic growth. I suggest that we make greater efforts in the following aspects:
First, countries should run their own affairs well. In the face of the crisis, it is important for leaders to act in the fundamental and long-term interests of the people and use necessary monetary and regulatory tools to regain market confidence as soon as possible and maintain economic growth.
Second, set up coordination(调和) and cooperation among governments. The financial departments, central banks and financial regulators around the world should closely follow the development of the crisis and study its trend and impact.
Third, strengthen regional financial dialogue and cooperation. Members of the Eurozone have reached agreement on the basic principles to tackle the financial crisis. We in Asia are also exploring the possibility of expanding the size of bilateral currency swap( 互惠外汇信贷)arrangements under the 10+3 framework .
Fourth, push forward the reform of the international monetary and financial systems. The present crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the existing international financial system and governance structure. It important to do three things in this regard: first, increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial organizations; second, expand the space of the regulation of the international financial system, and third, establish a reasonable global financial rescue mechanism（机制）.
71. According to the passage, members of the Eurozone reached agreement on _______.
A.how to deal with the financial crisis
B.how to regain market confidence
C.how to maintain economic growth
D.how to study the crisis trend
72. Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is ________ .
A. to closely follow the development of the crisis.
B. to study the trend and impact of the financial crisis.
C. to do their own business well.
D. to increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial organizations.
73. Which word has the same meaning with the underlined word maintain ?
A. mainly B. keep C. increase D. decrease 74.According to the passage, which of the following sentence is false?
A.Global issues included energy, food, the environment etc.
B.There has been no financial crisis more serious than this one in history.
C.Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is to do their own business well.
D.Asian and European countries are an important force for the world economic growth. 75.The passage mainly talks about ________.
A.What we should do during the financial crisis.
B.We should draw serious lessons from the financial crisis.
C.Countries and organizations have taken measures in response to the financial crisis.
D.We should set up coordination and cooperation among governments.
Andreea,18,from Romania, sent a photograph of the view from her window and included a brief apology, “Sorry, this picture is plain and boring. No one would like it.”
At home in New Jersey, US, Coreen Burke,16, clicked on the same image on the internet. She saw a village with its rooftops and walls painted in reds and yellows, a distant chimney(烟囱) giving off smoke. “Isn’t this amazingly different from my country?” She thought to herself.
Burke, a teenager with a skill for computers, saw beauty in that photo. She posted it to her blog, Outside My Window, which features a daily snapshot(快照) of someone’s window view around the world.
The concept is simple: We can all relate to the act of staring through a piece of glass, onto the scene on the other side. “Maybe if we understood the way people from all over the world live,” she explained, “we would all get along better than we have been lately.”
With a click of a mouse, you can see Frederic’s window in the south of France, looking out on sailboats anchored (抛锚) in a peaceful harbor. Or Virginia’s view in Canada, a winter scene with trees laced in white.
Like most high school students, Burke has traveled the world. But she says someday she hopes to collect stamps in her passport, starting with Greece and India. Her recent break was devoted to launching the site with a blogger account and recruiting(招募) contributors from deviant ART, an online art community. She posted the first window view from Switzerland, a sunset photographed by an 18-year-old. Then others came flowing in by email, up to seven a day, from as far as Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
Contributors are marked on maps pinned on her bedroom wall: a blue dot indicates their country and a pink dot shows their city, if they provide it. The most responses have come from Europe – Estonia, Poland, Italy, Germany and Sweden, to name a few. She is crossing her fingers, thinking that she’ll receive a photo from Africa or Antarctica, which are unrepresented so far.
While she’s become a cyber crusader(网络革新者) for appreciating the beauty outside our own windows, get this: She has no windows in her bedroom. She has a nice skylight（天窗）, though.
66. What does Burke think of the picture she received from Andreea?
A. Boring B. Charming C. Strange D. Plain
67. Outside My Window is a blog intended to show_______.
A. the view from Burke’s window
B. pictures of rural New Jersey
C. photos of window views taken by people all over the world
D. beautiful scenes of famous places of interest
68. We can conclude from the article that Burke _______.
A. believes we should reach out to people of different cultures
B. has traveled around the world and taken many pictures
C. is a member of an online art community
D. has made a lot of money by selling beautiful pictures
69. Which of the following is not true?
A. Burke is likely to receive a photo from Africa or Antarctica.
B. Burke is a junior middle school student.
C. Burke has photos from many countries in the world, including Kazakhstan.
D. Burke wants a photo of window view from Africa or Antarctica.
70．What is the best title of this passage?
A. World Windows
B. Beautiful Pictures
C. Pictures on the Internet
D. Windows in Bedrooms
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