BEIJING — China’s education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.
Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get ‘‘extra credits’ up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students’ chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.
“It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.
Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. uIt will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.
The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges(优先权).
The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.
Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.
But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My - 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math，and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.
A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”
Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China，” lie said.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
| A．high school students with talent in sports are weak in academic performance |
| B．students who win awards in Olympic competitions can’t get extra credits in 2011 |
| C．the number of competitions whose winners can get extra credits will be smaller |
| D．the extra credits have reduced students' chances of being admitted by famous colleges |
What does the underlined word “geek” probably mean?
| A．a winner | B．a smart learner | C．a competitor | D．a dull student |
Which person in the passage was strongly against the new policy?
| A．Xiong Bingqi | B．Chen Lei | C．Dong Wen | D．Yuan Guiren |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．“Extra credits policy in China to be adjusted |
| B．Promotion of national Olympic competitions |
| C．Advice on the national college entrance exam |
| D．Chinese government to push education reform |
The plan is for Kitty and Fido to go？Here’s what you need to know.,“Take_the_pet_for_a_few_short_rides_before_your_trip_so_it_gets_used_to_it，”says_Greg_Hammer.“You_can’t_take_your_pet_on_a_fourhour_trip_if_he’s_never_been_in_the_car_before.”,Make sure your cellphone number is on the pet’s collar，in case he gets lost.,Put it on his tags or write it on the collar in permanent marker.And have your vet inject your pet with a tiny microchip implant.If he loses his collar，rescue organizations will scan the back of his neck，see his personal identification number，and contact you.,RealSimple.com：Solutions to common pet problems,It’s the safest for passengers and your pets if cats ride in a carrier and dogs in a car harness or a crate，depending on what makes them most comfortable.“Pets that are out of their comfort zones can have behavior problems in the car，which can be dangerous while driving，”says Hammer.,Try not to let your dog ride with his head out of the window.,Beyond the danger of getting hit，“particles of dirt or debris can enter the eyes，ears，and noses，causing injury or infection，”says Hammer.,RealSimple.com: 8 things your pet shouldn’t eat,Make regular stops－every two hours for a puppy，every three to four hours for a cat or an adult dog－so your pet can take a walk on a leash (some cats enjoy a little leash walk)．,Feed your pet only lightly before getting in the car－pets can become carsick.Once you’ve stopped driving for the day，feed normally.,RealSimple.com：The top ten pet owner mistakes,Plan your pet’s typical feeding and walking schedule into your travel time.If your pet eats at midday，stop and give him a quick walk and a small meal.The underlined sentence shows __________．
| A．preparations for the trip are very important |
| B．it is difficult for pets to ride |
| C．take care when traveling with pets |
| D．a fourhour trip isn’t allowed for pets, |
How does the author think of a tiny microchip implant？
| A．Cheap. |
| B．Expensive. |
| C．Useful |
| D．Nice. |
Before you take your pets in the car，you’d better __________．
| A．make it fall asleep |
| B．feed it too much food |
| C．feed it in a normal way, |
| D．give it a little to eat |
What’s the best title for the passage？
| A．How to raise pets |
| B．How to take pets on road trips |
| C．How to solve common pet problems |
| D．How to correct pet mistakes |
Are you a forgetful person? You might be able to blame your genes, a new study in the journal Neuroscience Letters suggests.
Researchers from the University of Bonn have identified a variant（变体） on the DRD2 gene that seems to be associated with increased forgetfulness.
Everyone has one of two variants of the DRD2 gene, the difference is just one letter in the genetic code: Some people have the cytosine (C) variant, while others have the thymine (T) variant. The researchers wanted to see how having one variant over another was associated with forgetfulness.
To test this, they analyzed the DRD2 gene of 500 study participants, and also had the participants answer surveys about their forgetfulness (such as how often they misplaced their keys, or forgot names).
Most of the study participants—three quarters of them—had the thymine gene variant, while the other quarter had the cytosine gene variant. Researchers found an association between more forgetfulness problems and having the thymine gene variant of DRD2. Meanwhile, the cytosine gene variant seemed to have a protective effect against forgetfulness.
However, “there are things you can do to compensate for forgetfulness; writing yourself notes or making more of an effort to put your keys down in a specific location—and not just anywhere,” study researcher Dr. Sebastian Markett, of the University of Bonn, said in a statement.
Research has also suggested that some age groups are more forgetful than others. A recent national poll showed that millenials, who were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are actually more likely than seniors to be absent-minded with things like what day of the week it is, where they put their keys and remembering to bring their lunch.
Meanwhile, another study recently published in the journal BMC Psychology showed that men are more likely than women to experience minor memory problems.What do we know about the DRD2?
| A．It has two similar variants. |
| B．Some people don’t have it. |
| C．It’s bad for people’s memory. |
| D．Everyone has one of its variants. |
We can infer from the study that ______.
| A．most people have the C gene variant |
| B．about 75% of the study participants are forgetful |
| C．people with the C gene variant are more forgetful |
| D．the T gene variant helps improve people’s memory |
Paragraph 6 is mainly about ______.
| A．the result of study |
| B．how to avoid the forgetfulness |
| C．why forgetfulness is normal |
| D．the influence of forgetfulness |
Which section of a newspaper is the test most probably taken from?
| A．Health. | B．Nature. |
| C．People. | D．Science |
Today, in many high schools, teaching is now a technical miracle of computer labs, digital cameras, DVD players and laptops. Teachers can e-mail parents, post messages for students on online bulletin(公告，告示) boards, and take attendance with a quick movement of a mouse.
Even though we are now living in the digital age, the basic and most important element of education has not changed. Most students still need that one-on-one, teacher-student relationship to learn and to succeed. Teenagers need instruction in English, math or history, but they also want personal advice and encouragement. Kids talk with me about their families, their weekend plans, their favorite TV shows and their relationship problems. In my English and journalism classes, we talk about Shakespeare and persuasive(富有哲理的) essays, but we also discuss college basketball, the war in Iraq and career choices. Students show me pictures of their rebuilt cars, their family vacations, and their newborn baby brothers. This personal connection is the necessary link between teachers and students that no amount of technology can improve upon or replace.
A few years ago I had a student in sophomore English who was struggling with my class and with school in general. Although he was a humorous young man who liked to joke around, I knew his family life was far from ideal. Whenever I approached him about missing homework or low test grades, he always had the same reply, “It doesn't matter because I'm quitting school anyway.” Even though he always said this in a half-teasing way, I knew he needed to hear my different opinion and my “value of a high school education” lecture. He needed to hear this speech from me. After he left my class, he struggled through the next two years of school. But, he did finally graduate because we kept telling him to hang in there. We’d cared about him finishing school.
Recently, I saw this former student working at a local Italian restaurant. I told him again how proud I was of him. He said that he was hoping to go back to school to become a certified electrician. I encouraged him to get that training.
Students rely on compassionate teachers to guide, to tutor, to listen, to laugh and to cry with them. Teachers provide the most important link in the educational process—the human one.The first paragraph mainly talks about _____________.
| A．the variety of modern teaching methods. |
| B．the wide use of modern technology in education |
| C．the importance of teacher-parent relationship. |
| D．the importance of using modern technology. |
The underlined word “ compassionate” in Para 5 means ____________.
| A．ambitious | B．knowledgeable |
| C．sympathetic | D．selfish |
According to the text, the most important element in education is _________.
| A．teachers’ good instruction |
| B．advanced technology |
| C．teachers’ encouragement |
| D．personal connection |
The author states his view of education by __________.
| A．example | B．description | C．figure | D．comparison |
Marjorie Baer used to joke about her retirement plans. She wasn't married and had no kids, but she didn't intend to be alone—she and all her single friends would move into a fictional home she called Casa de Biddies. Instead, Baer developed terminal brain cancer when she was 52. But just as she'd hoped, her friends and family provided her with love and care to the end.
Ballance was only the first of Baer's friends who became her unofficial caregivers. With her brother Phil Baer from Los Angeles, they worked out a system to watch over their friend and allow her to keep some of the privacy and independence she cherished.
Baer's good friend Ruth Henrich took Baer to doctors' appointments and helped her deal with all the aspects of life —answering machines, TV controls, and even phone numbers. After Henrich sent out an e-mail request, a group of volunteers signed up to ferry Baer back and forth to radiation therapy（放疗）. Others in Baer's circle offered up particular talents: A nurse friend helped Baer figure out how to get what she was due from Social Security and her disability insurance; a lawyer pal helped Baer with her will; a partner who was an accountant took over her bills when she could no longer manage them. "There was this odd sense that the right person always showed up," says Ballance. Their arrangement worked remarkably well.
Unmarried women are one of the fastest-growing groups in America; experts are concerned about how care-giving will be managed for them as they age. If the experience of Baer's friends is a guide, the Internet will play a role. It's already making it possible to create communities of caregivers who may have only one thing in common: the person who needs their help. On personal "care pages" set up through services such as Lotsa Helping Hands, friends and family members can post a list of tasks that need to be done, volunteer to do them, and keep updated on the person's condition. As Baer's cancer progressed, for example, her friends set up a page on Yahoo! where people could sign up to deliver meals or do errands（差事）.
Catherine Fox, one of the friends who were present when Baer died, was deeply affected. "It was so comforting to know that if you're willing to ask for help, the generosity of family and friends can be phenomenal（显著的）. It makes me feel secure and hopeful to know that help is there when you need it. "The most appropriate title of this passage should be ______.
| A．On her own, but not alone |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C．A new practice of American government |
| D．An impressive advantage of the Internet |
The underlined part in paragraph four suggests that the Internet will ______.
| A．play a role in American future pension system |
| B．provide online medical care for aged unmarried women |
| C．help manage care-giving for unmarried women as they age |
| D．help those aged unmarried women to kill their spare time |
The writer tells us the story of Marjorie Baer for the purpose of ______.
| A．reminding us to be kind and make as many friends as we can |
| B．informing that there will be a new trend of care-giving for the single elderly |
| C．persuading us that we can enjoy our retirement even if we don’t have a child |
| D．introducing the convenience that will be brought by the Internet after we retire |
My mother is the only living person who has never communicated via email or text. She has never turned on a computer, registered an email account, used data storage media or searched the Internet. Since 1955, she has settled in Silicon Valley, married to an extremely technical specialist in applied physics and engineering, designing photometric systems for NASA. Only when Dad suffered from cancer could we convince her she needed a cell phone. Mom’s being separated from the information age is voluntary and deliberate.
Mom is still that farm girl, and she takes the most pride in it. She sees her neighbor and her community “real”. She shows no interest in the digital and virtual life. My mother saw Depression, World War II and the beginning of the Cold War before reaching voting age. She enjoyed country music on “The Sons of the Pioneers”, a Canadian broadcast. The battery was so precious a resource that radio was limited to the barn because Grandma thought it helped cows produce milk. In the age when Churchill moved millions for the first time with radio broadcasts, she only experienced live media monthly, if at all.
In her early twenties, Mom completed nurses’ training and worked in that field before marriage, family and church became her life’s concerns. She never really warmed up to television, though I think she appreciated a few of the series we watched, comedies like All in the Family. Computers, the Internet and mobile apps are simply not part of her experience.
Mom disagrees with the opinion that technology simplifies life. In her life, she sees online records, email and paperless systems as mysteries in which no written reference can assist her.
However, I can partly understand: I like such kind of experience and relationship one has with physical books. I am a child of television who only recently switched to online viewing. I’ve written down my awkward, love-hate relationship with my devices. Mom’s technophobia surely played a role here, but it works for her. She’s happiest as she is.The author’s mother began to use mobile phone when .
| A．she found it hard to contact with her husband |
| B．she settled in Silicon Valley for fifty years |
| C．she got marred to a technical specialist |
| D．her husband suffered from cancer |
What is the author’s mother most proud of according to the passage?
| A．Having so many close neighbors. |
| B．Experiencing too much all her life. |
| C．Living simply and in her own style. |
| D．Being involved in modern technology. |
What is the author’s attitude towards his mother’s such kind of experience?
| A．Critical. | B．Positive. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Negative. |
It is implied in the underlined sentence that .
| A．the author should make efforts to learn from his mother |
| B．the author prefers watching movies online to watching TV |
| C．Mom’s attitude towards technology has an effect on the author |
| D．Mom should also set down the relationship with physical books |
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