Some schools in the United States offer Chinese language classes with government support from China.
Saint Mary’s School is a private college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon.
Carly Irvine is in her fourth year of learning Mandarin(普通话).
CARLY IRVINE: “Since China and America are working so closely and our relationship is growing more and more, I think it will be very important in the future to know Chinese.”
Saint Mary’s also teaches Spanish, German and Latin. It added Mandarin in two thousand five. Two years ago, it became the first school in the country to join the Confucius Classroom program.
The program pays about half the costs of a teacher sent to a school in the United States. China’s Education Ministry also provides books and other materials.
Saint Mary’s principal, Frank Phillips, says knowing Chinese will help students in a world where China is quickly gaining economic power.
Zheng Ling, a teacher at Saint Mary’s, came from China in two thousand eight.
ZHENG LING: “People do not know much about China, especially the latest development. So I think this is a chance for them to know more about China, what China is really like. It’s quite different from what it was twenty years ago.”
The Confucius Classroom program is in about forty countries, including more than fifty American schools and universities.
A recent report said more schools in the United States are teaching Chinese and Arabic, although the numbers are still low.
45. How many American schools and universities have the Confucius Classroom program?
A. 4. B. 20. C. 40. D. 50.
46. Which of the following is true about Saint Mary’s School?
A. It is a public college preparatory school.
B. It added Mandarin in two thousand six.
C. It became the first school in America to join the Confucius Classroom program.
D. It also teaches Spanish, German and French.
47. How does Carly Irvine think learning Chinese?
A. Helpful. B. Useless. C. Unnecessary. D. Terrible.
48. What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Some US Students Learn Mandarin with China’s Help.
B. China is quickly gaining economic power.
C. Saint Mary’s School.
D. Carly Irvine.
An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses．The inside of the earth is relatively close but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地壳) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper)．Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia," but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface．The Mohole project, a U.S．plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔)．Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer． Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust — about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there' s a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it' s time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside．Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes．Instead, we should open a crack (裂缝)．
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb．Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (融化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot．The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper．The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration．"We're going somewhere we haven't been before," he says．"In all possibility, there will be surprises."
This idea can probably be put in．the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen．The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything．But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem．Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
Going inside the earth is ________ than going into space.
| A．more interesting | B．more possible | C．easier | D．more challenging |
How deep have we gone into the earth until now?
| A．6 miles． | B．4,000 miles． | C．7.5 miles． | D．25 miles. |
Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?
| A．It is an inspiring but not practical idea now． |
| B．It is a practical proposal that has come into use now. |
| C．It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice. |
| D．It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．An Annoying Problem for Humans |
| B．To the Center of the Earth |
| C．The Mohole Project |
| D．David Stevenson' s Proposal |
What should you think about when you try to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others．These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at mental work or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills.
If you have had a part - time job on Saturday or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part - time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures．It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not feel sorry about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.The first paragraph of the passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the indirect value of school work |
| B．the importance of being good at all subjects |
| C．knowing one's strong or weak subjects at school |
| D．using school performance to help to choose a career |
In the writer's opinion, for a student to have a part - time job is probably ________.
| A．a good way to find out his weak points |
| B．one of the best ways of earning extra money |
| C．of great use for his work in the future |
| D．a waste of time he could have spent on study |
If a student's school record is not good, according to the passage, he________ .
| A．may do well in his future work |
| B．won't be able to find a suitable job |
| C．may be a complete failure in the future |
| D．will regret not having worked harder at school |
The whole passage centers around ________.
| A．knowing oneself in looking for a job |
| B．developing one's abilities useful in school |
| C．gaining much knowledge by working hard at school |
| D．choosing a career according to what one is skilled in |
Beginning college is exciting: new ideas to explore, new challenges to be met and many decisions to be made．Your future begins here.
However, you will find college life is different from your previous school environment．Many of us can be easily overwhelmed（压垮）by the details of running a well-balanced life．While some of us may have the know-how, I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you.
The following you may find of use about life on campus.
●Plan well．There are so many new things to do at a new college or university．Give yourself time to make new friends and become familiar with the campus, but don’t forget why you are there．Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely.
●If you don’t have a “system” for planning your time now (like a day timer, a computer date book), get one．Most of all, don’t depend on your memory.
●Don’t miss the guidelines．The restrictions, rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in your student handbook．Consider them well-balanced food for thought．What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can/ can’t you do in class? What can/ can’t you do in your student residence（住处）? Who has right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?
●Write the word “STUDY” on the walls of our bedroom and bathroom, and maybe it will help to write it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone, TV and the kitchen table．Consider this—you are paying thousands of dollars for your courses．You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course.
●Build your identity．This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do．Take as much time as you need to explore new ideas．Do not be afraid of the beyond．This is learning to make good choices.
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To offer advice on college life． |
| B．To explain why college life is exciting. |
| C．To describe the importance of college life. |
| D．To persuade you to go to college. |
According to the text, why is it exciting to begin college life?
| A．Because you will have more freedom at college. |
| B．Because you will no longer be afraid of the beyond. |
| C．Because you prepare for your future career and life there. |
| D．Because professors there will provide you with many new ideas. |
What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “know-how”?
| A．An understanding of how things are going at college. |
| B．Practical knowledge about how to behave and what to do at college. |
| C．College halls where rules and regulations are presented. |
| D．An environment completely different from the one you’re used to. |
According to the text, college students .
| A．needn’t learn from those who went to college before them |
| B．spend as much time as possible on social activities |
| C．should know what they have right for on campus |
| D．are supposed to repeat or replace at least one course |
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Ann: Well, Bob, what a surprise! It's nice to see you again!
Bob: Hello, Ann! 61 Wasn't it a year ago Christmas, the last time we saw you?
Ann: You know, I think you're right．How are your wife and the children?
Bob: Oh, they're fine．Billy fell down and broke his leg a few months ago． 62
Ann: Wasn't Joey learning to play the violin? Seems to me I remember something about that．
Bob: 63 He's all excited about sports now．
Ann: And you wife, what is she doing these days?
Bob:? She's going to a night school on Mondays and Thursdays．She's studying French now．But last year she studied typing and sewing． 64 Next it’ll probably be cooking．
Ann: How nice for her! 65 But say hello to Mrs James for me, will you?
Bob:?Sure I will, and remember me to your husband．Goodbye．
| A．Oh, he's given that up． |
| B．Oh, I'm sorry．I've got to rush． |
| C．She's made great progress in that． |
| D．How long has it been? |
E．I think she just enjoys going to school．
F．Joey's getting on well with her．
G．But other than that, there's been nothing special.
Every year landslides {滑坡} cause 25 to 50 deaths and $1.5 billion in damage in the United States．They account for 15 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in Europe．And in December, a single event killed more than 200 people in the Philippines．Sending workers to stabilize (加固) mountainsides using steel bars and cement (水泥) can help prevent disaster, but it introduces new difficulties．Shaking drills produce harmful dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris (米屑)．"It's quite a risky job," says Giorgio Pezzuto of D'Appolonia, an engineering company in Italy.
D'Appolonia, working with eight other companies, may have an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber．"The idea is to operate a machine far away that can drill without a human being on board,'" says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by the European Commission．Engineers claim that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor．The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged mechanical spider (蜘蛛), has cost at least $2 million so far．The final product should be able to climb unstable mountainsides, drill holes, insert bars and cement, and collect data on the slope' s stability．Testing should begin in May.The underlined word "event" (in Paragraph l) refers to ___.
| A．landslide | B．machine | C．earthquake | D．flood |
The purpose in writing this text is ___..
| A．to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is |
| B．to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a risky job |
| C．to introduce a product that can be used to stabilize mountainsides |
| D．to show people how to use a new product |
What does the robot look like?
| A．A human being． | B．A spider． | C．A truck． | D．A drill． |
The biggest advantage of this product is that_________.
| A．it will be faster and cheaper than manual labor |
| B．it can climb mountainsides, drill holes, insert bars and cement |
| C．it can collect data on the slope’s stability |
| D．it can drill without a human being on board |
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