A new report says only about half of all students in the main school systems of America’s largest cities finish high school. The report notes higher rates of graduation — over 70% —in areas surrounding the cities. Researchers studied high school graduation rates from the 2003, 2004 school year. They also identified the nation’s fifty largest cities. The largest, New York City, had a population of more than eight million. The smallest city was Wichita, Kansas. It had about three hundred and sixty thousand people.
Researchers used a system of measurement called the cumulative promotion index to find graduation rates. School officials in many of the cities studied said the resulting numbers were too low. That is because different areas use different methods to find graduation rates. Critics say many methods do not give a true picture of the number of students who leave high school before finishing.
Other studies have put the national graduation rate at about 70%. But experts agree that too many students are not completing high school. They estimate the number at more than one million each year. The report was prepared for America’s Promise Alliance. The private group aims to help children receive services they need to succeed.
General Colin Powell was chairman of America’s Promise Alliance when it was formed in 1997. He attended the press conference Tuesday where the report was released. He said studies have shown that the US must do more to educate the leaders and work force of the future.
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings also spoke. She said the government will propose that states use the same methods when reporting graduation rates. Alliance officials also announced the start of a nationwide campaign to improve graduation rates. It is to include a series of meetings to be held in every state over the next two years. The meetings will bring together elected leaders, business owners, students, parents and education officials. They will develop plans to increase the number of Americans who finish high school.The author wants to tell us ___________.
| A．too many Americans do not finish high school |
| B．different methods to find graduation rates |
| C．services American children need to receive |
| D．the increase of the number of Americans who finish their high school |
From Paragraph 1 we can infer that __________.
| A．there are 8,360,000 people in the US’ fifty largest cities |
| B．Wichita in Kansas is the smallest city in the US |
| C．50% of the people in the US don’t finish their high school education |
| D．high school graduation rates in or near the biggest cities are higher |
The underlined word “picture” probably can be replaced by “_______”.
| A．situation |
B．scene |
C．image |
D．mood |
From the last paragraph, we can draw a conclusion that _______-.
| A．secretary of Education Margaret Spellings didn’t believe that number from the report |
| B．the government will stop using the cumulative promotion index to find graduation rates |
| C．secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the start of a nationwide campaign to improve graduation rates |
| D．the low graduation rates should be paid attention to by the government and the society |
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 good 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（双边的）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 is 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）.
57. 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
58. Which word has the same meaning with the underlined word maintain ? 
A. mainly B. keep C. increase D. decrease
59. According to the passage, which of the following sentence is True?
A．Global issues included energy, food, the environment, fashion etc.
B．There was no financial crisis in history.
C．Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is to do their own business well.
D．Asian countries are the most important force for the world economic growth.
60. 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.
Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won the Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.
Located on the shore of Sullivan's Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one damaged by Hurricane Hugo years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.
Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina's shoreline were poorly constructed, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. Now all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan's Island should be strong enough not to be damaged by a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometres per hour. 
At first sight, the house on Sullivan's Island looks anything but(根本不) hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it look like “a large party lantern” at night. But looks can be deceiving. The house's wooden frame is strengthened with long steel rods(杆) to give it extra strength.
To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings(木桩) buried deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also raise the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. “The waves of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.
Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed(隐藏) by the house's ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn't look like it's standing with its legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of storm, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.
53. After Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina's shore line are required
to .
A. be easily pulled down B. look smarter in design
C. meet stricter building standards D. be designed to be cube-shaped
54. The award-winning beach house is quite strong because
A. it is strengthened by steel rods B. it is made of redwood
C. it is in the shape of a shell D. it is built with timber and concrete
55. Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to .
A. avoid peak winds of about 200 km/h
B. bury stronger pilings deep in the sand
C. break huge sea waves into smaller ones
D. prevent the waves from running into it
56. It can be inferred from the passage that the house's shell should be .
A. smooth B. waterproof C. easily broken D. extremely hard
Many people have described television as a passive activity that is harmful to children's education. However, there are good and bad ways to watch television. Parents who are interested in exploiting television as a learning tool can actually turn time in front of TV into an educational chance.
Probably the most familiar educational way to use television is to simply watch educational programs. In particular, this means selecting channels and programs specially designed for educational purposes. Along with traditional educational shows for children on public broadcasting channels, cable television (有线电视) now offers kids and adults a wide variety of educational programs, with everything from nature shows to historical events in different countries. 
Captioning(字幕），such as "closed captioning" for hearing disabled viewers provides another way for parents to exploit the educational possibilities of television．One study showed that children who watched captioned TV got great improvement in their vocabulary and oral reading ability. In addition, parents can make any show a learning class by watching television together with children. By actively joining children in the programs that they are watching, parents can help with the development of such skills as predicting（预见）and summarizing. In order to develop predicting skills, parents and children could first refer to a program’s description in a viewing guide．After reading the program description and guessing what might happen in the program, parents and children could watch together to see which predictions were correct. And to practice summarizing, after watching a program, parents can turn off the TV and ask what the story was about. This kind of activity helps children develop thinking skills such as arranging events in an order and memorizing information．
Although there will still be plenty of times when children watch TV simply for passive enjoyment, parents can help make at least part of their children’s viewing time a more productive activity．Used intelligently by exploiting the learning chances available through various programs, television can play an instructive role in children’s education.
49. Which activity is NOT suggested in the passage？
A. Talking about TV shows. B. Watching captions on TV.
C . Enjoying films about nature. D. Watching shows for homework.
50．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage？
A. Parents can simply make any show a learning class for their children．
B. To make watching TV a more productive activity parents should include themselves in the producing process.
C. Most parents have changed their attitude to their kids’ watching TV and become positive to the problem.
D. In a way, it is how parents act that leads to whether watching TV may do good or not to their children.
51. We can infer from the last paragraph that ．
A. not every minute when a child watches television must be educational
B. children should not use television for passive enjoyment
C. some children prefer reading to watching television
D. television offers more learning chances than school
52．Which of the following questions is the major one discussed in the passage? 
A. What makes television more interesting than books?
B. Why should schools put television into classrooms?
C. How can parents use television as a teaching tool？
D. Which program can actually make kids smarter?
B
|
Experience the newly opened Grand Canyon (大峡谷) West Skywalk in Colorado. Departing (离开) from Grand Canyon’s South Rim by Airplane to Grand Canyon’s West Rim, you will land and take a ground tour to the Skywalk! Walk on air for 70 feet over the edge of Grand Canyon West.
This Skywalk has been open since March 28, 2007. Daily visitor-ship to the Skywalk has been over 4,000 people. Please be patient to enjoy your moment on the Skywalk.
After you have experienced the one and only Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge, you will return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and take your Airplane for a flight back to the South Rim of the Canyon. This is a tour never to be forgotten as you will have walked on air over the Grand Canyon.
Tour Itinerary (行程)
| Tour Duration |
5.7 Hours |
The Grand Canyon Adventure Skywalk |
| Flight from Grand Canyon South Rim to Grand Canyon West |
1 Hour |
Experience a bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon as you make your way to Grand Canyon West. |
| Light Lunch at Guano Point at Grand Canyon West |
2 Hours |
You’ll be taken by bus to Guano Point with breathtaking views of the western part of the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River makes its way into Lake Mood. Every table for lunch has a view. |
| Walk on the World Famous Skywalk |
1.5 Hours |
Finally you’ll board your bus to Eagle Point, home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Now it is time for you to walk on air for 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. |
| Flight Back to Grand Canyon South Rim |
1.2 Hours |
After time on the Skywalk, you’ll return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and return to Grand Canyon South Rim in time for dinner and sunset. |
45. This advertisement is for __________.
A. Grand Canyon West B. Grand Canyon South
C. Grand Canyon D. the Skywalk
46. The package fee does NOT cover the cost of _______.
47. The Grand Canyon Skywalk Bridge is made of glass because ______.
A. it looks stranger B. it is cheaper to build
C. it looks more beautiful D. it gives you a better view
48. According to the Tour Itinerary, the route is ______.
A. South Rim→Guano Point→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim
B. South Rim→West Airport→Guano Point→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim
C. South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→Guano Point→West Airport→South Rim
D. South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→Guano Point→South Rim
第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，每小题2分，满分50分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
This story is about a 92-year-old, short, well-behaved and proud lady. She is fully dressed each morning by eight, with her hair fashionably done and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is totally blind. She is moving to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she moved to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet(观察孔) sheets that had been hung on her window.“I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old girl having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet. Just wait.” “That doesn't have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.”
“I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting(叙述) the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away, just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw(收回) from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit(储蓄) a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.”
41.Which is the direct reason for the lady's move to a nursing home? 
A. She is totally blind. B. She can not dress herself any more.
C. She is 92 years old. D. Her husband has passed away.
42. When I described the room in which the lady would live, she was .
A. disappointed B. angry C. happy D. sad
43. From the third paragraph we can infer that .
A. the lady's attitude towards life was positive
B. the lady wanted the furniture well arranged
C. the lady disliked the writer's description
D. the lady decided to get up early every day
44. The best title of the passage would be “ ”.
A. Life Is like a Bank Account B. Saving More Money for Your Life
C. Life Is Full of Sorrow and Happiness D. Coming Out from the Shadow of Life
粤公网安备 44130202000953号