Separate lives, similar dreams
As we know, some children live in the countryside, and some live in the city. Their lives are a little different, but they also have many of the same dreams.
| |
In the countryside |
In the city |
| Travel to school |
On foot |
By bus or car |
| Classroom facilities（设施） |
Recorders and radios. |
Multimedia classrooms, VCD, DVD, TVs, recorders, radios, loud-speakers. |
| Ways of learning |
Classes only, without many reference books. |
Many extra classes, tutor, lots of reference books. |
| Eyesight |
Less than 45% are near-sighted. |
About 75% are near-sighted. |
| After-class activities |
Playing with balls. |
English corners and other school clubs. |
| Homework |
Homework can usually be finished at school. |
Homework never ends. |
| Chores to do |
Washing, cleaning, farming, looking after younger sisters or brothers, cooking. |
Usually no chores. |
| Family members |
Big families with three generations. |
Small families with three members. |
| Ideal jobs |
Teachers, drivers, scientists, nurses, secretaries. |
Scientists, professors, doctors, computer programmers, managers, university presidents, the UN chief. |
The survey was done among the ______ between in the countryside and the city.
| A．teachers. | B．students. | C．parents. | D．adults. |
. About ______ of children in the countryside have good eyesight, but only ______ of children in the city have good eyesight.
| A．45%,75%. | B．55%,75%. | C．55%,25%. | D．45%,25%. |
Which of the following is not included in the survey?
| A．Ideal jobs. | B．After-class activities. |
| C．Ways of learning. | D．Results of tests. |
. A classroom in the countryside often has ______ according to the survey.
A. records. B. DVD. C. TVs. D. loud-speakers. Which of the following is WRONG according to the survey?
| A．Children in the countryside often go to school on foot. |
| B．Children in the city often have too much homework to do. |
| C．Children in the countryside often have lots of chores to do. |
| D．Children in the city are difficult to find ideal jobs. |
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic(流行病) sweeping across Americas farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census(普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of fanners is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.
Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of .America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No.1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal(联邦的) agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.
“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect.” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
“In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050,” she said.
“I truly believe we're at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”
The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.
Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21 -year-old Best hopes his message-that this is a new time in agriculture-will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations(创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”What is the new challenge to American agriculture?
| A．Fewer and older farmers. | B．Higher fuel prices. |
| C．More natural disasters. | D．Lower agricultural output. |
Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?
| A．To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention. |
| B．To select qualified agriculture graduates. |
| C．To clarify a recent blog posting. |
| D．To talk more students into farming careers. |
According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people because .
| A．the government will cover production costs |
| B．global food supplies will be even lower |
| C．investment in agriculture will be profitable |
| D．America will increase its food export |
What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．To re-analyze the result of the national census. |
| B．To increase agricultural production. |
| C．To bring down the average age of farmers. |
| D．To invest more in agriculture. |
Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.
As your eyes move along the line of print, they make fixations(固定) or pauses. It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group of words quickly and move on to another group. The number of letters or words that you see at a fixation is called your eye span. Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.
The way in which you read always depends on what you are reading and for what purpose. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method that is necessary. Here are four ways of reading:
(1) Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You can skim to get the main points.
(2) Rapid first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.
(3) You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive(精深的) study of your school subjects, solving maths problems or reading directions.
(4) Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing material that you already know well.The main reason for reading fast is that you can what you are fast reading.
| A．get the ideas | B．save time | C．understand better | D．learn well |
The way of reading always depends on .
| A．the method that you like | B．your reading material |
| C．your reading purpose | D．both B and C |
The underlined word “skimming” in the fourth paragraph means .
| A．reading very fast |
| B．looking carefully |
| C．reading only the main points |
| D．reading some parts of the material |
Careful reading is an important kind of reading .
| A．when you read a story for enjoyment |
| B．when you go over a lesson that you have already known well |
| C．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive |
| D．when you wish to find a lost place that you have read |
Top lists are lecturing people on everything from “100 books to read”. Aren’t you just tired of being told what to do with your time?
Now you have a list to end all lists!
Take a look at the following two examples from the list of “101 things not to do”:
Swim with Dolphins(海豚)?
Swimming with dolphins is one of the world’s most profitable tourist activities. However, every dolphin will welcome having their busy, tiring day interrupted by tourists screaming pushing around them in the water. Worse yet, when dolphins get too near to the boats loaded tourists, they could get caught up in ropes and killed by propellers(螺旋桨).
Here’s a little secret. Dolphins look like smiling at you, but actually they’re just opening mouths.
Go to See the Mona Lisa?
There must be something about the mysterious(神秘的) smile. The 6 million people who the lady in the Louvre every year can’t all be wrong after all. But they can be quite annoying standing in front of you, holding up their cameras to prevent you from seeing anything. In fact it is hard for you to see the painting clearly because you have to stay away from it for security read. After queuing for hours, many tourists can remain in front of the painting only for 15 seconds most.
If the mysterious lady in the picture knew her fate, she wouldn’t just be smiling, she laughing.
So, still long to see the Mona Lisa? If you want to find out more about the list, read 101 Things NOT to Do Before You Die. Visit www.not2dobeforeidie.co.uk and buy the book at a 20% discount.According to the passage, swimming with dolphins .
| A．is the world’s most popular tourist activity |
| B．gives fun to both tourists and dolphins |
| C．will make tourists busy and tired |
| D．can cause danger to dolphins |
What does the author think about going to see the Mona Lisa?
| A．It is wrong to go and see the mysterious smile. |
| B．It is not as satisfying as expected. |
| C．Fifteen seconds in front of the painting is enough. |
| D．Queuing for hours is worthwhile. |
The list of “101 things not to do” is made most probably because its author .
| A．thinks it boring to do the things suggested by other lists |
| B．believes other lists are not humorous enough |
| C．intends to persuade people to read more lists |
| D．wants to provide a list different from other lists |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To advertise a book |
| B．To introduce a website |
| C．To comment on popular lists |
| D．To recommend tourist activities |
On the first day of college our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, “Hi, handsome! My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you can!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We instantly became friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop.
I was always mesmerized(催眠) listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon(偶像) and she easily made friends wherever she went.
At the year end, Rose finished the degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral to pay their respects to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possible be.Why did Rose go to college at her age?
| A．She wanted to marry a rich husband. |
| B．It was her dream to receive college education. |
| C．She wanted to change her present situation. |
| D．She wanted to get a Bachelor Degree. |
Which of the following can best describe Rose?
| A．Serious, helpful and hard-working. |
| B．Outgoing, humorous and determined. |
| C．Brave, warm-hearted and optimistic. |
| D．Rich, sensitive and graceful. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．Rose didn’t have any relatives when she died |
| B．Rose had lived a very hard life |
| C．the author was unwilling to understand Rose |
| D．the author learned a lot from his old friend Rose |
By writing the passage the author intends to .
| A．encourage old people to receive a good education |
| B．describe the author’s college life |
| C．introduce an admirable old college student |
| D．teach young people to value their school life |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum(论坛) asking what “PK” meant. “My family has been watching the ‘Super Girl’ singing competition TV program. My little daughter asked me what ‘PK’ meant, but I had no idea,” explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, “PK” is short for “Player Kill”, in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the “Super Girl” singing competition, “PK” was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students’ compositions using Internet jargons(行话) which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn’t understand.
“My ‘GG’ came back this summer from college. He told me I’ve grown up to be a ‘PLMM’. I loved to ‘FB’ with him together; he always took me to the ‘KPM’,” went one composition.
“GG” means Ge Ge(Chinese pinyin for brother). “PLMM” refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei(beautiful girl). “FB” means Fu Bai(corruption). “KPM” is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long(dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa(frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao!By writing the article, the writer tries to .
| A．explain some Internet language |
| B．suggest common Internet language |
| C．laugh at the Beijing father |
| D．draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term “PK”?
| A．Fathers can’t possibly know it. |
| B．The daughter should understand it. |
| C．Online game players may know it. |
| D．“Super Girl” shouldn’t have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons .
| A．are used not only online |
| B．can be understood very well |
| C．are welcomed by all the people |
| D．cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A puzzled father | B．Do you speak Internet-ish? |
| C．Keep away from Internet-ish | D．Kong Long or Qing Wa? |
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