Too cold for recess? School policies vary as much as temps
When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outside for recess（课间休息）? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to.
Consider: One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside. But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside. Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue considering that much of the USA is trembling through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather.
There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U.S. Department of Education says. Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts.
Consequently, policies are all over the map:
• In International Falls, Minn., the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what." "At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds.
• In Wicomico County, Md., principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures drop below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education.
"That's the bottom line," says Curtis Twilley, principal of Pemberton Elementary School in Salisbury, Md. Twilley says students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. At Pemberton Elementary, the students will typically play board games or computer games in a classroom because the school's gym is occupied with other classes, he says.
• For schools in Marquette, Mich., which averages about 12 feet of snow per season, school officials acknowledge students are probably a little more prepared than those in some more mild climates.Which of the following is not true according to the passage_________.
| A．No national temperature standard is made for when to keep kids inside during the winter months. |
| B．Susan Jones insists students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. |
| C．In Wicomico County, children are kept indoors when temperatures dip below freezing. |
| D．Mich has about 12 feet of snow per season on average. |
Which place calls itself Box of Ice?
Wicomico County B. Marquette C.Salisbury D. Minn Considering_______, canceling recess In USA because of the cold is a big issue.
| A．different schools have different principles. |
| B．much of the USA has very cold winter. |
| C．physical activity can boost student performance. |
| D．decisions are made at the local level, |
The underlined word iffy means _______.
| A．uncertain | B．surprising | C． serious | D．worse |
What will be talked about next?
| A．More school policies |
| B．The reasons why school policies vary. |
| C．Measures to improve the situation. |
| D．Necessities to improve the situation |
Ⅲ 阅读（共两节。满分40分）
阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work. Maybe that is why there are so many expressions that use the word cold. For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, for example, are said to be cold-blooded. Cold-blooded people act in merciless ways. They may do brutal things to others, and not by accident. For example, a newspaper says the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. The killer murdered someone, not in self-defense. He seemed to kill for no reason, and with no emotion, as if taking someone’s life meant nothing. Cold can affect other parts of the body. The feet, for example. Heavy socks can warm your feet, if your feet are really cold. But there is an expression -- to get cold feet -- that has nothing to do with cold or your feet.
The expression means being afraid to do something you had decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned. All the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
Cold can also affect your shoulder. You give someone the cold shoulder when you refuse to speak to them. You treat them in a distant, cold way. The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face-to-face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.
Out in the cold is an expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise, that he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
41. The passage is intended to tell us that______.
A. cold weather has a great effect on human bodies
B. many English expressions contain the word cold
C. cold is a word closely linked with human emotions
D. the word cold has many different meanings in English
42. The underlined word brutal in paragraph 1 most probably means _______.
A. impolite B. illegal C. cruel D. extreme
43. Which of the following expressions can best describe a person who is unwilling to offer anything to others?
A. Cold-blooded. B. To get cold feet.
C. A cold shoulder. D. A cold fish.
44. You can say Tom ______ if the teacher gives all the boys except him a pen as a prize.
A. is given the cold shoulder
B. is left out in the cold
C. has got cold feet
D. is murdered by a cold-blooded killer
45. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ______.
A. all the expressions containing the word cold have a negative meaning
B. all the expressions containing the word cold have something to do with cold
C. People who show no human emotions or feelings have cold blood
D. Many parts of the human body can be badly affected by cold.
第二节语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31～40的相应位置上。
I met Kumkum at a children’s home in Delhi. It is a home 31 children who are sick are provided treatment and care before 32 (send) to some other orphanage. Kumkum was 7 years old, and a very brave soul. Despite suffering from tuberculosis(肺结核), I never saw 33 crying. She had lost her parents and was struggling herself through this terrible disease.
Upon meeting, we took an instant liking 34 each other. Every Saturday I would visit Kumkum and play with her. She would love to sit on my lap. It was one such moment that the child felt like 35 (kiss) me... and I suddenly remembered that she was suffering from tuberculosis which is a communicable(传染性的）disease. I tried to stop her 36 she really wanted to show her affection for me, so I overcame my fear and let her place the 37 gentle and sweet kiss on my cheek that I ever had.
Although I overcame my fear at that moment, I 38 (not forgive) myself ever since for refusing her 39 (initial). Although the child kissed me, I think she sensed my hesitation 40 she has never kissed me again. I will never forget that the most beautiful thing in this world is a child’s kiss... so full of love and innocence.
C
As Joe and Michael were heading towards the Drivers License place, Michael, who was behind the wheel, froze as he heard the voice on the radio saying that a man had been murdered by a bullet that had came from the sky. He immediately drove off and went to a secret place. Later on that day, after thinking that the shot they had fired possibly wasn’t the shot that killed Mr Ward, they headed back to the Drivers License place where Michael failed the driver’s test because he could not think straight. For the next two months, Michael and Joe hid the secret that the bullet had actually shot Mr Ward.
During this time, Jenna Ward started to realize life without her father. While Jenna mourned the death of her father, a strange boy started to appear at the front steps of the church across the street from her house. After many nights of watching this boy, she finally recognized that it was Michael who was sitting on the steps every night.
After months of finding out where the shot came, the police were able to narrow the search area down to within a four-block area. Among these four blocks were Michael’s house and Joe’s house. When the police arrived at Michael’s house, his dad mentioned the gun that Michael had received from his grandpa at his birthday party. Michael, trying to be sly, told the cops that Joe had borrowed the gun. Upon this, Joe said that the gun had been stolen out of his car along with his CD player. After the police were gone, Michael met Joe at a special spot and told Joe the gun was under the wood pile in his backyard.
One day, when Michael thought the police would not come back, he came home to find the police searching his backyard with metal detectors. When the Sergeant(警官) went into the woods behind the house, he came out with a bullet that Joe and he had shot off on his birthday. The bullet matched the one that they had recovered from Mr. Ward, but without the gun, the police could not place Michael as the killer.
With the pressure mounting, Michael finally broke down and realized he had to give up. On a Saturday morning, he went to Jenna’s house to confess to her and her mother and then turned himself in.
51. It can be inferred from the story that Michael and Joe _____.
A. shot and killed Mr Ward by accident
B. shot and killed Mr Ward deliberately
C. fired a bullet that killed Ward from the sky
D. were experienced professional murders
52. Michael and Joe drove to the Drivers License place ______.
A. to find out whether Mr Ward was dead
B. to find a secret place to hide themselves
C. to take the driver’s licence test
D. to have their car wheel repaired
53. Why did Michael sit on the steps of the church every night?
A. He was monitoring Jenna’s whereabouts (行踪)
B. He was probably feeling upset and guilty.
C. He wanted to make sure that Ward was dead.
D. He wanted to show sympathy for the Ward’s.
54. From the passage we can learn that _____.
A. Michael lent the gun to Joe at his birthday party
B. the gun together with a CD player was stolen from Joe’s car
C. Michael hid the gun under the wood pile in his backyard
D. the Sergeant discovered the bullet in the wood pile
55. The underlined phrase “turned himself in” in the last paragraph means _____.
A. returned home B. went into the room
C. fled into the woods D. delivered himself to the police
B
Yes. It’s really happening. This is the last weekend that Washington D.C.’s beloved giant panda, Tai Shan (aka Butterstick), has resided at the National Zoo. Born in Washtington D.C. four and a half years ago, Tai Shan is leaving for China on February 4 to become part of a breeding(培育) program that will help support panda populations in the wild. We’ve known it was coming: He’s the property of China and his departure was part of an agreement made long before he stole our hearts. And while acknowledging that he will be helping the breed (there are only about 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild), we can’t help but be sad to see him go. He’s been an international concern from the moment he was born on July 9, 2005, thanks in part to the popularity of the PandaCam, which cameraed his every roly-poly(不倒翁似的) move.
The National Zoo is hosting a huge send-off celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to say goodbye to Tai Shan, gathering their team of vets, nutritionists, reproduction specialists, and other scientists to share their knowledge about pandas. The Chinese Embassy will present dance and music presentations, kids will be able to write cards for Tai Shan, and in the most brilliant display we’ve seen in a while, Land O’Lakes will host a photo gallery of favorite images of Tai Shan from the past few years. “When Tai Shan was born,” the Zoo explains in its press release, “...he was about the size of a stick of butter. This earned him the affectionate nickname ‘Butterstick.’” .
Happily, Tai Shan will be departing in style. According to the Washington Post, FedEx has offered to donate the transportation and he’ll be leaving in a 777 FedEx aircraft next week that’s fitted with his own logo on the side. There’ll be “only eight people on board, including a doctor, as well as a panda member of the opposite sex...and more than 50 pounds of his favorite food available on demand,” says the Post. Not a bad way to travel 8,642 miles, even if it is in a crate(板条箱).
So goodbye, Butterstick, safe travels, and may you lead a long and fruitful life in China!
46. We can infer from the passage that the author most probably is ________.
A. an American B. a Chinese C. a foreign tourist D. a young writer
47. Why must the National Zoo send Tai Shan to China on February 4?
A. Because he’s the property of China.
B. Because his mother was stolen from China.
C. Because it’s the first part of a breeding program.
D. Because it’s bound and required by the agreement.
48. By saying “long before he stole our hearts” (in paragraph 1), the author means “long before______”.
A. he made us heartbroken B. he made us lose heart
C. we fell in love with him D. we felt disappointed with him
49. The send-off celebration will include the following activities except ______.
A. sharing knowledge about pandas B. dance and music presentations
C. a photo gallery of images of Tai Shan D. collecting nicknames for Tai Shan
50. Which of the following statements is True?
A. The number of pandas in the world is now sharply decreasing.
B. FedEx will fly Tai Shan to China in a Boeing 777 aircraft for free.
C. Washington Post is a branch company of FedEx’s in the US.
D. Tai Shan is to be accompanied on board only by eight people.
Ⅲ 阅读（共两节。满分40分）
阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan. After all, there are no children begging on the streets in major cities here. You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline. But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth-highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a week. Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals, but it’s there. It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计), struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费). She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work. The number of single mothers has increased. The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn. Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the threshold of poverty.
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008. But the Japanese government and public refused to acknowledge it until then - in part, because of the shame associated with poverty.
“It was, what should I say, very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said Abe. “Even though OECD announced it and OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, it didn’t make it into the articles.”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate (减缓) the problem. Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more. She wants it to simplify the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges. The country now only offers loans.
Abe says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get worse in the next few years.
41. The passage is intended to _________.
A. report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B. tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C. prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D. introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
42. It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.
A. no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B. its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C. it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D. its government and public refused to acknowledge it
43. According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except________.
A. high social security premiums
B. the increase of the number of single mothers
C. the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D. the expansion of three-generation households
44. Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A.The Japanese public didn’t think it true.
B. It was forbidden by the Japanese government.
C. The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor.
D. OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.
45. What of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A. Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.
B. Expanding government’s financial help even more.
C. Providing educational grants for poor students.
D. Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance
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