The organization representing British universities has expressed concern about the potential effect of tuition fees（学费）after figures showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to go before the deadline for 2013 applications.
Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candidates up to 17 December, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-urea fall seen in earlier Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the coming January deadline makes it ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to ￡9,000.
Nicola Dandridge, the chairman of Universities UK, said: “However, we must be concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in particular; we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions in England may be affecting the decisions of promising students. However, the December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is not only a question of tuition fees in England putting off from applying.”
A report of the Uncas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5% fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops of 3.9% for Scotland and 0.5% for Northern Ireland. Scottish students at home institutions pay on fees, while those from Northern Ireland have fees capped to ￡3,575 for Northern Irish universities.
Dandridge added: “No one should be put off applying to university because of worries about finance.”
“It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about the student support available to them. Most new students don’t need to pay directly. There will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”A drop of more than 6% for 2013 applications is probably the effect of .
| A．The increased tuition fees |
| B．The approaching deadline |
| C．The concern from applicants |
| D．The difficulties with applications |
Compared with the previous year, the fall in student applications is .
| A．3.9% | B．2.1% | C．6.3% | D．8.4% |
Why is the fall for application the smallest in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
| A．Because they have more financial support |
| B．Because the tuition is much cheaper for them |
| C．Because the education is better there |
| D．Because the universities are free for them. |
The last paragraph tells us that .
| A．Everyone should apply to university |
| B．Students may get financial supports |
| C．Lower loan repayments is unavailable |
| D．Most new students will not pay fees |
In my experience, one of the greatest reasons of unhappiness is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are．When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different–we cry out for something better．That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that has been grown in our culture．
The root of the unhappiness isn’t that we want things to be different, however, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place．We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, but it just is．”
Here is an example．I have written a paper, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind．Quite a few people think it bad after reading it because I think people should expect things to go differently than you planned, and that you should accept that, instead of encouraging people to change themselves or the environment as much as possible．You could accept it as the way the world works–as the way things actually are．And try to understand why that is, and follow it, as it is．
This can be useful to whatever you do: whether it be how other people act at work, how politics works and how depressing the news media can be．Accept these things as they are, and try to understand why they’re that way．
It’ll save you a lot of sadness because you’ll no longer say, “Oh, I wish things didn’t go bad!”
If you really understand what I mean, you can try a different way to live in this world:accept, and understand．It might lead to some interesting results．What is the major reason why we feel unhappy in the writer’s opinion?
| A．We are never satisfied with ourselves and the environment around us． |
| B．When we see something that makes us unhappy, we don’t know what to do． |
| C．We feel hard to accept the way things happen themselves． |
| D．No matter how happy we are, we never want to be happy． |
What do you think the writer may say to himself when he meets something unhappy?
| A．How could I have made such a stupid mistake? |
| B．I should have done better．It’s all my fault． |
| C．Why is it all against my plan? It can’t be so bad． |
| D．Well, I know all is what it is meant to be．Take it easy． |
Why do some people think badly of the writer’s new paper after reading it?
| A．The writer hasn’t shown an encouraging attitude in his paper． |
| B．The writer asks people to try to make things better． |
| C．The writer reminds the people that things will go exactly as you’ve planned． |
| D．The writer doesn’t think it a good idea to accept the things go naturally． |
The statements below are based on the writer’s points of view, EXCEPT_______
| A．Unhappiness may be caused by human nature that we always want things to be better． |
| B．Why we don’t like the thing is that we have regard it as bad in the beginning． |
| C．The news media shouldn’t be so depressing if the reporters worked harder． |
| D．The best way to avoid feeling unhappy is to accept the things as they are． |
The English language is changing fast,thanks to the rapid progress of technology. We all have a rapid choice: we can either bury our heads in the sand and spend the rest of our lives wishing Shakespeare were alive and well. Or we can embrace (拥抱) the new English,enter into the spirit of the Internet age called Weblish.
“You can’t avoid it,for the simple reason that whenever a new variety of language comes along,it inevitably (不可避免的) impacts（冲击）on the language as a whole.” says Dr. David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics（语言学）at the University of Wales in Bangor, whose book Language and the Internet has just been published.
The trouble with keeping up with the new English is not so much that there are so many new words but that the old words no longer mean what we thought they did. In the past, if someone said they did not have Windows, you would have to suppose they lived in a cave.These days,it is probably because they use a Mac(which is a computer, not a rain coat). Spam is as disliked as it ever was ,but it once meant an unappetizing（引不起食欲的）canned meat.It now stands for unwanted “junk” email. Spellings are changing, too. Not only is text-messaging playing “hvc wth vrbs” (havoc（混乱）with verbs), but the conventions of email communication place little emphasis on “perfect speaking”.
Weblish loves to see nouns happily become verbs(“please bookmark this site”),and verbs become nouns (“Send me the download”). Verbs and prepositions are regularly thrown together to become new nouns or adjectives(e.g. dial-up, logon, print-on-demand, pull-down, upload), while others are created from simply pairing nouns: cyberspace, Etl, hyperlink, netspeak.The best title of this passage would be ______.
| A．Keep Up with the Latest Weblish | B．Keep Up with the Latest Development |
| C．Newly Invented English Words | D．Technology and English |
We can infer（推断）from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．Some people wish Shakespeare were still alive |
| B．people may have different attitudes towards Weblish |
| C．all people welcome Weblish |
| D．Weblish is not popular among people |
The author thinks the main difficulty for people in keeping up with Weblish is that ______.
| A．old words have new meanings |
| B．there are so many new words |
| C．the technology is changing too fast |
| D．Weblish words are full of spelling mistakes |
Dr. David Crystal would probably agree that ______.
| A．people should not accept Weblish |
| B．Weblish can cause misunderstandings among people |
| C．Weblish will destroy the English language |
| D．people should know something about Weblish |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnection between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive（认知的）skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents — and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite of passage（通过仪式）.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
| A．be less healthy both physically and mentally | B．keep a high sense of wonder |
| C．be over-protected by their parents | D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _________.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents | B．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| C．the natural experience in their growing up | D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to _________.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| C．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.
During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors”, Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.
Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.
It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of “critic”, “mountaineer” and “eyeball”. Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including “pomp and circumstance（装腔作势）” from “Othello”, “full circle（绕圈子地）” from “King Lear”, etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major language in the world.
Shakespeare became a wellknown writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.From the passage, we can see that ________.
| A．Shakespeare was hardworking when he was a student |
| B．many of Shakespeare’s works were influenced by earlier writings |
| C．the experience of living in London had no effect on Shakespeare’s works |
| D．Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works |
Why could Shakespeare’s works survive his time?
| A．Because there were so few people writing plays in his time. |
| B．Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do. |
| C．Because his works were rich in imagination and language. |
| D．Because he was a rich and influential person of his time. |
Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on .
| A．paintings | B．television |
| C．the English language | D．music and dance |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works |
| B．the main features and styles of Shakespeare’s plays |
| C．Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture. |
| D．how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture. |
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O’Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（唐氏综合症）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致礼）salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.”Which is the most correct description of the author’s son? He was _________.
| A．brave | B．sympathetic | C．honest | D．proud |
The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_________”.
| A．cheer | B．laughter | C．silence | D．cry |
Why did the author hold his breath when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
| A．Because his son might get angry with Mike | B．Because Mickey cheated everyone |
| C．Because his son would accept the fact | D．Because the score was out of his expectation |
We can infer from the passage that Mickey .
| A．was hated by his own team |
| B．was excited when he realized the fault |
| C．was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams |
| D．was cared about by his teammates |
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