Recently I paid a visit to Harvard University, where there are top class scientists and professors and the best academic system in the world.
I was pretty shocked when I first stepped onto the campus. Well, it’s not even really a campus. It’s more like a district in a small town.
Harvard’s main buildings are from the 18th century. They look very old and simple. You might even say they’re a little shabby. They don’t fit the modern idea of university at all. The buildings are surrounded by grass and trees, so I felt as if I had walked into a medieval castle. But when I looked across the street, busy shops and in-fashion students made me feel like I was in the 21st century again. It creates a strong contrast(对照) and brings a special atmosphere to the school.
Our tour guide Gary took us around and told us, “You see this grass field in the center of the school? Here is where they host their graduation ceremony. They just set up tents and benches and have a very simple ceremony. Unbelievable! Who would think the most talented students just graduate on the lawn?”
I saw some students put a blanket on the grass and lie down to read a book. When I listened to the soft sound of pages turning, along with the chirping(鸟叫声) of the birds, I felt very calm. There was no competitive feeling at all.
Harvard has the world’s first computer in its science center and there are hundreds of high-end computers too. Its religion and the literature departments are also among the best. It is the perfect mix of tradition and new technology. It makes Harvard a very attractive place to study in.
I hope one day I’ll attend my dream school---Harvard. The article is mainly about ______.
| A．the author’s campus life in Harvard |
| B．the author’s impression of Harvard |
| C．Harvard’s old buildings |
| D．the academic system at Harvard |
According to the article, in which fields is Harvard top in the world
| A．Literature, art, and law |
| B．Religion, law and arts |
| C．Literature, arts and computer science |
| D．Religion, computer science and literature |
Which word can be used to describe the Harvard campus?
| A．Modern | B．Competitive | C．Peaceful | D．Splendid |
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker(股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week long.”
And then, in prefect English I said, “I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world. Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
After the author made the phone call, __________.
| A．they forgave the stockbroker |
| B．they failed to get the check |
| C．they went to New York immediately |
| D．they spoke to their boss at once |
What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
| A．It confuses her. |
| B．It embarrassed her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. |
| D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
We can infer from the passage that Chinese English _________.
| A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers |
| B．is vivid and direct to non-native speakers |
| C．has a very bad reputation in America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.
Martian language
They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ .
| A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths. |
| B．have your own symbols and lifestyle. |
| C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s． |
| D．like music and dance very much. |
According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.
| A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod |
| B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently. |
| C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends. |
| D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line. |
According to this passage, which is FALSE?
| A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos． |
| B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking. |
| C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life. |
| D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing. |
The main idea of the passage is about________.
| A．the Gen-90s’ happy life |
| B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
| C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings |
| D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
A recent survey shows that the alarming rate of child suicide(自杀) in Hong Kong, raising levels of stress and anxiety among young people, increasing conflicts between children and teachers, and children’s complaints that their parents do not understand their problems—all point to a drop in “emotional quotient” (EQ) (情商), the ability to handle relationships.
EQ is defined as the ability to deal with oneself and others effectively. High EQ, psychologists say, is easy to spot. Some of the greatest humanitarian (人道主义的) leaders have high EQ, along with successful managers and inspirational and respected teachers. The problem is not how to spot high EQ but to improve on low EQ, so society as a whole can benefit.
In the United States, declining EQ among young people is seen as one of the factors behind rising young people’s crime because youths fail to understand others’ feelings—one of the key components of EQ. While the situation in Hong Kong is not so bad, there are warning signs that the levels of anxiety among youth may become critical. Declining EQ among Hong Kong teenagers has been acknowledged by several studies including a key study by the education concern group, the Learning-Teacher Association, which found a high degree of anxiety among students over the future and also that young people lacked confidence in dealing with problems. Parents and teachers will also need to develop their own EQ skills in order to deal with them effectively.
Daniel Goleman cites a number of basic elements of high EQ: first, awareness of your feelings as you experience them which is very important to making good decisions in life; second, feeling or awareness of what others are feeling. “90% of emotional information is expressed non-verbally and people vary in their ability to pick it up,” Dr. Goleman says in his book.
Dr. Goleman argues that without high EQ even highly-educated, highly-intelligent people will not find success in life. Or those with low EQ, even though they may be brilliant, tend to lack feeling and impulse control. They fail easily, and they are easily intolerant and often aggressive in interpersonal relations. Some educational psychologists believe work on EQ may be important in Hong Kong with its high rate of suicide among school children. EQ test may be able to help predict those most at risk, and those least able to deal with their own emotions or unable to deal with others, including parents and teachers.According to the passage, children in Hong Kong commit suicide at an alarming rate as a result of _______.
| A．parents not understanding their children |
| B．the rising levels of stress and anxiety among young people |
| C．the inability of dealing with relationships |
| D．increasing conflict between children and teachers |
We can infer from the passage that people with low emotional quotient _______.
| A．are least likely to become good leaders |
| B．can deal with oneself and others effectively |
| C．are beneficial to society |
| D．are more likely to be respected |
The word “its” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．the work on EQ |
| B．Hong Kong |
| C．EQ |
| D．China |
Daniel Goleman believes that _______.
| A．one can be just as successful without having a high EQ |
| B．only people with both high EQ and high IQ will be successful in life |
| C．people with low intelligence will not get a successful life |
| D．people not having high EQ may not be successful in life despite being extremely intelligent |
As the semester(学期) ended, students had a chance to turn the tables on their teachers.
They got to grade me anonymously(匿名地), assessing the ability of my thinking, my organizational skills and the depth of my knowledge. Such evaluations keep me alert to what works and what doesn’t. Students reflect my performance back to me, and I’m glad to learn what they think of my teaching so that I might try to improve.
This system reflects many aspects of my work. There is, of course, nothing wrong with it. But this system assumes that what students need is the same as what they want. Reading my evaluations every semester has taught me otherwise. Actually many students’ expectations for their courses have already changed, reflecting, in part, the business model many universities are following: classes are considered services, and parents are eager to get their money’s worth from their children’s education. Students feel pressure from their parents to get practical use from their courses.
This could make sense for an engineering course, but in my field, creative writing, which rarely trains up excellent 21-year-old writers, it is more difficult to provide the results that the career-minded students desire. Then I tried some teaching techniques to change the criticism of those unhappy students to the opposite and improve my student evaluations. My record would accurately reflect a smart, attentive, encouraging teacher. However, I would admit that they loved me simply because I agreed writing should be easy.
I know other teachers have done the same thing: teach your heart out to the teachable but be sure to please the unteachable; keep your ratings high, like a politician trying to improve his poll(民意调查) results. I believe in the struggle. But I still can’t help wincing(退缩) when I read, “The instructor is mean.” “Marcus is not committed to my work.” “This class sucks.” The business model has taught me that customers are always right. And maybe a few more dissatisfied customers would mean a better learning experience.What can we know from the underlined phrase “turn the tables on their teachers”？
| A．Students get a chance to have dinner with their teachers. |
| B．Students begin to criticize and punish their teachers. |
| C．Students judge and grade their teachers. |
| D．Students take action to praise their teachers. |
Why have the students’ expectations for their courses changed?
| A．Because students want to improve other abilities. |
| B．Because students feel great pressure from universities. |
| C．Because the business model has changed. |
| D．Because students have to satisfy their parents. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Parents don’t care about their money spent on their children’s education. |
| B．The writer adopted some teaching methods so that he improved his student evaluations. |
| C．Similar to other teachers, the writer struggled to work as politicians. |
| D．The students intended to punish their teachers by giving comments. |
What is the author’s attitude towards being graded by his students?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Scared. |
Has Tiger Mom gone soft? One year after the release of her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua is back in the spotlight, reflecting on how overnight infamy (恶名) affected her life, her family and her parenting.
“I have changed a lot,” she told the Huffington Post. “In October, we had 30 kids at our house! We have hosted parties with lots of food and music.”
Last January, the Wall Street Journal published an excerpt (节选) from Chua’s book with the headline “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”. In the excerpt, Chua described how her daughters were never allowed to have sleepovers (在外过夜的儿童聚会), appear in school plays, or earn any grade lower than an A. Chua, an author and professor at Yale Law School, spent much of 2011 on the defensive. In fact, many of her interviews seemed to lend fuel to her critics’ fire.
Now, with the book out in paperback, she said, “I put passages in the book and used very harsh words that I regret. Everybody has those moments you wish you could take back.”
For those who still read Battle Hymn as an advice guide, Chua argues that so-called tiger parenting should be employed mainly during a child’s early years, ideally between the ages of 5 and 12. These “super-strict parenting tactics” are not meant for all ages. Remaining strict after middle school makes you a helicopter parent, according to Chua. And she is quick to point out how different that is from being a tiger mom.
“By the time kids get to high school, helicopter parents are hiring all these tutors, carrying their kids’ sports bags. I never checked older daughter Sophia’s papers because I knew she knew how to sit down and focus,” Chua said.
As for younger daughter Lulu, 15, the rebel for whom the book was written, Chua has really backed off. Instead of forcing Lulu to practise violin for hours a day—the source of their biggest fights, Chua “let her give that up”. “My compromise (妥协) is that I’m going to still be as strict academically, but in exchange she has a lot of social freedom. Lulu has had four sleepovers in the last two months!” Chua said. Chua predicts she’ll only get more easygoing with age.What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．How Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother came out. |
| B．Tiger Mom persuaded readers to follow her example. |
| C．Tiger Mom has changed and wants to be soft. |
| D．How Tiger Mom became the worldwide spotlight. |
From paragraph one we can know that after the publication of the book______________.
| A．Tiger Mom became stricter with her children |
| B．Tiger Mom’s life and family were influenced |
| C．Tiger Mom was thought highly by the public |
| D．Tiger Mom became wealthy and easygoing |
Lulu quarreled with her mother mainly over______________.
| A．whether she could do well at school |
| B．when she could have sleepovers |
| C．what should be written in the book |
| D．how long she practiced the violin |
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