In only two decades Asian Am
ericans have become the fastest-growing US minority. As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was forming. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their educations abroad arrived in the US with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.They are also influenced by the promises of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe the
re is something in Asian culture that causes success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social separation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.While making great achievements at college, Asian-American students ________.
| A．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English |
| B．are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character |
| C．still worry about unfair treatment in academic areas |
| D．generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents |
What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?
| A．Solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture. |
| B．Hard work and intelligence. |
| C．Hard work and a limited knowledge of English. |
| D．Asian culture and the American educational system. |
Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because_________.
| A．their English is not good enough |
| B．they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas |
| C．there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures |
| D．they know little about American culture and society |
The author’s tone in this passage is __________.
| A．sympathetic | B．doubtful | C．critical | D．objective |
It’s amazing how we grow from careless kids to responsible teens. What happens in the course that makes us responsible now? It’s the seed that we sow in the beginning which grows and becomes a huge tree. As I sit here, silently thinking about my growth, I wonder over some questions which don’t have an answer but it’s because of such unanswerable situations that life has become a roller coaster ride.
As a kid, I used to read a lot of story books. In one particular book, I read a story of a bird. From then on, that has become an integral (必不可少的) part of my life. It described a male bird which takes a lot of pain to build a nest and the female bird takes shelter in it and nourishes the baby. When the bird learns to fly, the whole family flies off to a different place leaving behind the beautiful nest for other birds to grow their family in it. It made me wonder. How could they so easily sacrifice their house built with so much effort?
One night, when I was deep in sleep, I got this particular dream. I was walking miles on the endless road, totally isolated but lined with beautiful trees on the either side. Fascinated by the greenery, I marched towards it only to end up deeper and deeper into the greenery. I happened to stop upon seeing something. It was a massive, wonderful house. I fell in love with that amazing part of art. Yeah, it was indeed a piece of art with every nook and corner touched artistically and lovingly. I don’t know why I felt that it was done lovingly. Maybe because, things turn out to be beautiful only when we put our love into it — just like the food prepared by mom which tastes more delicious with her love.
I explored the house only to fall more in love with it. There was a sloping roof which matched with the greenery around; the large central open courtyard reminded me of the activities that might have taken place there which felt lively even now when it is completely deserted. The small water body that kept the house cool added to the beauty of the house — of course, it was all dried up now. It’s really wonderful how such things add life to the spaces which otherwise just become structures. Such liveliness and happening turns the house into a home. They say ‘THE HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’, but now I began to feel it. This is where my heart belongs. This is what I’m destined to do.
When I woke up from the dream, I was clear about everything. I realized where that mile of walk was intending me to lead. I realized what message my dream wanted to convey me. And years later, when finally my turn of choosing my destination came, I simply closed my eyes, held that book in my hand, pressed it against my chest and relived the dream. When I opened my eyes, I was sure what to do. I decided to choose the road — less traveled. Yes, I took up architecture as my profession because this is what I am destined to do. I wanted to do the same thing that the male bird in the story did, to take pain in building a beautiful house and let others stay in it. This is my dream come true and the happiness that I gain now from this profession is indescribable.When the writer read the story of the bird, he probably felt _______.
| A．upset | B．confused | C．amazed | D．amused |
To the writer, “the seed that we sow in the beginning” (Paragraph 1) is _______.
| A．the house in his dream | B．his mother’s food |
| C．the story of the bird | D．his story books |
Mom’s food always tastes better because _______.
| A．mom cooks with her love |
| B．we are so familiar with mom’s food |
| C．moms are better cooks than fathers |
| D．mom is experienced in cooking |
In the writer’s dream, what part of the house attracted him most?
| A．The greenery surrounding the house. |
| B．The body of water that keeps the house cool |
| C．The liveliness he sensed around the house. |
| D．The fact that the house was very large. |
The above passage is mainly about _______.
| A．how the writer finally becomes an honest citizen |
| B．where the true meaning of responsibility lies |
| C．what we need to do when we are seeking fortune |
| D．why the writer takes up architecture as his career |
My children are perfect. All four of them. Perfect and beautiful and clever. I bet yours are, too. Except, of course, they are not. In reality, my children and yours are likely to be reasonably average in terms of looks, behavior, intelligence and charm. That’s why it is called average. Your belief in your child being special is more probably a biological thing than a fact.
A loved one, particularly a loved child, is edited as we observe them. Other people’s children are spoiled; ours are spirited. Theirs are naughty; ours are confident.
This is all natural and even touching when not taken too far. However, it is one thing feeding this idea to ourselves but feeding it to our children may be a little less desirable. We have the idea that — unlike my parents’ generation — we should build our children’s self-respect as high as we can. Therefore, their random scribble (胡写乱画) is up there with Picasso, their C-minus is an unfortunate oversight on the part of the teacher, and the fact that no one wants to be friends with them is because they are particularly clever or sensitive.
Children see through this kind of thing very quickly and ignore their parents’ praises as a matter of course. As they grow up, they sense that the wider world judges them differently. This leads to a – hopefully gentle – cynicism (猜忌) about anything their parents tell them about their achievements. Perhaps that is OK — but I’m not sure if it is good for them to have the parental praise so overlooked.
If parents were a little harsher sometimes, this could have two positive effects — first, when praise came, it would be more likely to be believed and, second, it would fit in rather more accurately with the picture of reality that the child is forming in their heads.
A lot of pressure is put on children who are told they are beautiful, special and perfect. Because then, where is there to go? Only downwards. They become too much aware of their status in your eyes, and a danger must be that they fear failing you. To be over-praised by your parents is the counter side of being criticized all the time. Both can have negative consequences.
It is important to give your children the freedom to be flawed (缺点) — to know that it’s OK to be imperfect, and that, in fact, we often love people for their flaws — perfect people (whom we can only imagine, as they do not exist) are easy to respect, but hard to love.
Now I am nearly 60, my main insight is that I am much less special than I once believed. This knowledge has actually been helpful in leading a more well-balanced life.
I certainly wouldn’t like to go back to attitudes that my parents, particularly my father, held, that to praise the child was to “spoil them” or make them bigheaded. However, the history of families is like the history of everything else — the story of overreactions. We praise our children to the skies, partly because we think it makes them feel good, but also because it makes us feel good. And perhaps it is more the latter than the former.
Too much love can be as big a burden as a shortage of it. My advice is to limit your praise. Then every piece of praise will count, rather than being just ignored.In some parents’ eyes, who is to blame for their children’s poor grades at school?
| A．Picasso. | B．The children |
| C．The teacher. | D．The children’s friends. |
One possible consequence of parents’ over-praising is that _______.
| A．the children will therefore become more confident |
| B．the children will not take their praise seriously |
| C．the children will doubt the way the world judges them |
| D．the children will understand no one can be perfect |
According to the passage, some children feel pressure because _______.
| A．they are often told they are unique and perfect |
| B．the society judges them differently from their parents |
| C．they are worried that they may let their parents down |
| D．they have no freedom to express how they really feel |
The word “harsher” (Paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．severer | B．gentler | C．weaker | D．rougher |
Which of the following will the writer most probably agree with?
| A．Children’s self-respect shouldn’t be parents’ major concern. |
| B．The easiest way to spoil a child is to praise him or her. |
| C．Perfect people deserve our respect but not our love. |
| D．Parents should praise their children but not too much. |
Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?
| A．Concerned. | B．Approving. |
| C．Enthusiastic. | D．Pessimistic. |
Ensure you are prepared for your exams by understanding the processes, dates and support information relating to examinations. Please read the information under Examination Policies and Processes below, especially the Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations.
Examination period
Semester 1, 2015 Monday 15 June — Saturday 27 June (inclusive)
Semester 2, 2015 Monday 9 November — Saturday 21 November (inclusive)
Important notice: special consideration
All students are reminded that submitting an unreal medical certificate（证明）or PPC with a special consideration application amounts to misconduct and carries severe fines and punishment.
Final personal exam timetables will be available from 4:00pm Thursday the 8th of October.
Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations (updated April 2012)
You need to follow all instructions given by examination teachers.
1. You may take in pens, pencils, drawing instruments and small items of food such as sweets. These items may be left on the desk during the examination. You may also bring in small valuables such as wallets, purses, mobile phones and laptops which must be powered off, not just silent. These items must be placed on the floor below the desk. Don’t leave money or valuables in bags. The University can accept no responsibility for the loss of students’ personal property.
2. Anything taken into an examination room must be made available for inspection(检查) by the examiner or other University staff.
3. The use of approved calculators may be permitted in examinations. The make and model of all calculators used by students in formally inspected examinations will be recorded. You are not permitted to share calculators, or pass them between each other in an examination. Mobile phones which have a calculator facility are not allowed. Use of a non-approved calculator may be regarded as misconduct. If you are unsure what functionality is permitted, make sure you check with your examiner that your calculator may be used in the examination.
4. No candidate may be admitted to an examination room after 30 minutes from the start of writing. No candidate who has entered an examination room and seen the examination paper may leave until 30 minutes has passed from the time writing started. No candidate may leave during the last ten minutes of any examination.
5. Smoking is not permitted in examination rooms.
Students with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries
◇Students with a disability, including serious medical condition, or recent injury, which puts them at a disadvantage during examinations should contact Disability Services, Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building, as soon as possible.
Phone: +61 28627 8422
Fax: +61 28627 8482
If appropriate, special arrangements can be made to meet particular requirements.
Serious illness, injury or misadventure — Special Consideration regarding assessments
Please read about Special Consideration.
◇Students who feel too ill to attempt an examination at the scheduled time should consult a medical practitioner (职业医生) after reading the Special Consideration section.
◇Students who fall ill during an examination will be asked by invigilators(监考官) whether they wish to consult a doctor at the University Health Service. If this occurs the doctor will complete a Special Consideration form and forward it to the relevant examiner.
Misreading of the timetable is not accepted as a reason for failing to attend an exam.
Past exam papers
You can view many past exam papers at the University Library website.We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．there will never be any exams on Saturdays or Sundays |
| B．exams are likely to be held in Semester 1 starting from November |
| C．misreading the timetable will not be an excuse for not attending an exam |
| D．final timetables will be available from 4:00pm Thursday the 8th of October, 2015 |
According to the passage, you will be fined if you _______.
| A．share or pass your calculator in an examination |
| B．hand an unreal medical certificate to your school |
| C．use a calculator that is not permitted by your examiner |
| D．leave the examination room 30 minutes before the end of the exam |
When you are in the exam room, you are supposed to _______.
| A．submit your personal items to your examiner |
| B．ensure your mobile phones and laptops are quiet. |
| C．pack your small valuables in your own bag |
| D．be prepared for any inspection by your examiner |
Students who fall ill during an exam _______.
| A．will be offered special arrangements to meet particular requirements |
| B．will be asked whether to see a doctor at the University Health Service |
| C．will be required to go to see the doctor and end the exam immediately |
| D．will be advised by invigilators to read the Special Consideration section |
Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.
Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?
Combing through decades of findings, social psychologists Lisa Slattery Walker and Tonya Frevert at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte havereviewed all the evidence to dateand their conclusions are not what you might expect.
At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo(光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.
Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely; attractive plaintiffs(原告), meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It’s an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.
But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices(偏见) can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.
More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.
And the bubble of beauty can be a somewhat lonely place. One study in 1975, for instance, found that people tend to move further away from a beautiful woman on the pathway — perhaps as a mark of respect, but still making interaction more distant. “Attractiveness can convey more power over visible space — but that in turn can make others feel they can’t approach that person,” says Frevert. Interestingly, the online dating website OKCupid recently reported that people with the most beautiful pictures are less likely to find dates than those with less perfect pictures.
Ultimately, Frevert points out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”From paragraph 1, we can learn that _______.
| A．some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance |
| B．most people are not afraid of being too beautiful |
| C．we might always dream about being bothered by others |
| D．being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone |
Which is the benefit for beautiful people?
| A．An attractive plaintiff has more chances to get away with punishment. |
| B．Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders. |
| C．Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities. |
| D．Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case. |
What can be inferred from OKCupid’s finding?
| A．People with perfect pictures will find dates sooner or later. |
| B．Less attractive women are lonely because of their appearances. |
| C．We may feel more excited to approach those with attractive appearances. |
| D．Don’t use perfect pictures when trying to find dates online. |
The writer mentioned the underlined sentence in the last paragraph to _______.
| A．persuade us to pay more attention to our looks from now on |
| B．suggest that beauty can help make a better personality |
| C．encourage us to focus more on improving our personality |
| D．ask ugly people to have more confidence in their personality |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Negative Sides of Beauty | B．Sexist Prejudice |
| C．Blessed with Beauty | D．Beauty vs Ugliness |
I cheated on a unit test in math class this morning during second period with Mr Burke Afterward, I was too sick to eat lunch just thinking about it．
I came straight home from school, went to my room, and lay on the floor trying to decide whether it would be better to run away from home now or after supper．Mostly I wished I was dead It wasn't even an accident that I cheated．
Yesterday Mr．Burke announced there'd be a unit test and anyone who didn't pass would have to come to school on Saturday, most particularly me, since I didn't pass the last unit test I did plan to study just to prove to him that I'm plenty smart - which I am．mostly - except in math．
Anyway, I got my desk ready to study on．Just when I was ready to work, Nicho came into my room with our new rabbit and it jumped on my desk and knocked the flashcards all over the floor．What a mess! Nicho and I finally took the rabbit outside but then Philip came to my room and also Marty from next door and before long it was dinner．
After dinner my father said I could watch a special on television if I'd done all my homework．Of course I said I had．That was the beginning．I felt terrible telling my father a lie about the homework．
It was nine o'clock when I got up to my room and that was too late to study for the unit test so I lay in my bed with the light off and decided what I would do the next day when I was m Mr．Burke's math class not knowing the 8- and 9-times tables．
So, you see, the cheating was planned after all．
The next day, I'd go into class as usual, acting like things were going just great．I'd sit down next to Stanley Plummer - he is so smart in math it makes you sick - and from time to time, I'd glance over at his paper to copy the answers．Everything was okay except that my stomach was upside down and I wanted to die．
The fact is, I couldn't believe what I'd done ．in cold blood．I began to wonder about myself．I've never been a wonderful kid that everybody in the world loves．I have a bad temper and I like to have my own way and I argue a lot．Sometimes I can be mean．But most of the time I've thought of myself as a pretty decent kid．Mostly I work hard, I care for little kids, and I tell the truth．Now all of a sudden I've turned into this criminal．It's hard to believe I'm just a boy．And all because of one stupid math test．
Lying on the floor of my room, I begin to think that probably I've been bad all along．It just took this math test to clinch it．I'll probably never tell the truth again．
I tell my mother I'm sick when she calls me to come down for dinner．She doesn't believe me, but puts me to bed anyhow．1 lie there in the early winter darkness wondering what terrible thing I'll be doing next when my father comes in and sits down on my bed．
"What's the matter?" he asks．"I've got a stomachache," I say．Luckily, it's too dark to see his face．"Is that all?" "Yeah．" "Mommy says you've been in your room since school．" "I was sick there too," I say．"She thinks something happened today and you're upset．" That's the thing that really drives me crazy about my mother．She knows things sitting inside my head the same as if I was turned inside out．
"Well," my father says．I can tell he doesn't believe me．"My stomach is feeling sort of upset．" I hedge．"Okay," he says and he pats my leg and gets up．
Just as he shuts the door to my room I call out to him in a voice I don't even recognize as my own．"How come?" he calls back not surprised or anything．So I tell him I cheated on this math test．To tell the truth, I'm pretty much surprised at myself．I didn't plan to tell him anything．
He doesn't say anything at first and that just about kills me．I'd be fine if he'd spank me or something．And then he says I'll have to call Mr．Burke．It's not what I had in mind．"Now?" I ask surprised．"Now," he says．He turns on the light and pulls off my covers．"I'm not going to," I say．
But I do it．I call Mr．Burke, and I tell him exactly what happened, even that I decided to cheat the night before the test．He says I'll come on Saturday to take another test, which is okay with me, and I thank him a whole lot for being understanding and all．
"Today I thought I was turning into a criminal," I tell my father when he turns out my light．
Sometimes my father kisses me good night and sometimes he doesn't．I never know．But tonight he does．After the author cheated on the math test, he felt________．
| A．pleased that nobody knew it |
| B．excited that he had succeeded |
| C．frightened because he might be caught |
| D．unhappy because he had done something wrong |
By saying "It wasn't even an accident that I cheated", the author means that_______．
| A．he had planned not to study before the test |
| B．he had planned to cheat with Plummer before the test |
| C．he decided to cheat after he had wasted the whole evening |
| D．he decided to cheat when he knew there was going to be a test |
Before the cheating, the author thought that_______．
| A．he was a bad boy in everything |
| B．he always did what he was told |
| C．he was a boy that everyone loved |
| D．he was a decent child but not perfect |
The author thinks his mother often drives him crazy because________．
| A．she is very strict with him |
| B．she doesn't care for him actually |
| C．She always knows what he is thinking |
| D．she always tells him to look after himself |
After he was informed of what he had done, the father________．
| A．scolded the author severely |
| B．didn't say anything and left |
| C．called Mr．Burke immediately |
| D．let the author make a call to Mr．Burke |
The author's father kissed the author good night because________．
| A．he had done something unusual |
| B．he promised to study math harder |
| C．he was willing to take a make-up test |
| D．he realized his mistake and had the courage to admit it |
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