Before she appeared on the reality show (真人秀) Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middleaged British woman.Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town.Because of learning difficulties, she doesn't have much education.But what she does have is a very good voice.As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays.For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April 10th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just_one_step_up_from rags.The audience laughed at her.
But then she opened her mouth.A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent.A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables.Everyone was amazed.At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name.She won fans and millions of admirers.Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.
Susan's story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn't have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan's fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice.She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone's respect.According to the passage, Susan Boyle ________.
| A．is a famous young actress | B．became famous after a show |
| C．used to be a good student | D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers |
The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means ________.
| A．far from | B．close to | C．different from | D．the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ________.
| A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags |
| B．she looked very funny |
| C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
| D．she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of ________.
| A．her beautiful face | B．her knowing how to dress |
| C．her good education | D．her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how to win fans | B．how to sing well |
| C．a woman's sudden success | D．a woman's simple life |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child who learns to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much., he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the differences between the language he uses and the language those around him. Little by little, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught-to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle-compare their performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes.
But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them himself. We do it all for his act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says , what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine(daily) work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that they can’t find the way to get to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know. According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is by ______.
| A．listening to the advice of grown-ups. |
| B．asking adults many questions. |
| C．making mistakes and having them corrected. |
| D．doing as other people do by themselves. |
Which of the following does the writer think teachers should NOT do?
| A．Give children correct answers. |
| B．Allow children to make mistakes. |
| C．Tell the children what is wrong with their work as often as possible. |
| D．Let children judge their own work. |
According to the writer, teachers in school should ______.
| A．encourage children to learn from each other. |
| B．point out children’s mistakes whenever they are found. |
| C．correct children’s mistakes as much as possible. |
| D．teach children more knowledge from book. |
The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are ______.
| A．different from learning other skills. | B．the same as learning other skills. |
| C．more important than other skills. | D．unnecessary skills. |
. Which of the following may serve as the best title of this passage?
| A．Let Us Teachers Stop Working. | B．Let Children Alone. |
| C．Let Children Correct Their Exercises. | D．Let Children Learn by Themselves. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A while one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valuable than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting cards stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays. Which is not a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring up the children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
. What do you know from the passage?
| A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
| A．It only has two kinds of colors. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ________.
| A．people usually have family parties. | B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery. |
| C．children always go to parent’s home. | D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts. |
What do you think florists do?
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕榈) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.
What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO2(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障碍)that still need to be overcome.
First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.
The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.
However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻类）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.
Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.
While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?
| A．To cut down the flight cost of the company. |
| B．To remove some hurdles for the biofuel to work. |
| C．To reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes. |
| D．To test plane engines on biofuel. |
．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?
A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.
B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.
C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel.
D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to .
| A．alter the engine for airplanes |
| B．make biofuel burn consistently |
| C．open more land to grow more crops |
| D．develop sewage treatment plants |
．We can infer from the last paragraph that .
| A．there is a long way to go for a complete switch to alternative fuel |
| B．it won’t be long before alternative fuel comes into use |
| C．airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers are reliable |
| D．alternative fuel has a bright future |
．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?
| A．Biofuel-Alternative Fuel Sources. |
| B．The First Commercial Flight Powered by Biofuel. |
| C．How to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Airplanes. |
| D．Vigin Airlines Trying to Alter Fuel Sources. |
It is a matter of common observation that although money income keeps going up over the years, we never seem to become richer. Prices are rising continuously. This condition is what we call inflation: the money supply is becoming inflated so that each unit of it becomes less valuable. We have got used to higher and higher rates of inflation in recent years. What could be bought twenty years ago for one pound now costs well over 2 pounds. And at present this rate of inflation seems to be rising rather than falling. If in the real world our money incomes go up at the same rate as prices do. One might think that inflation doesn’t matter. But it does ------.When money is losing value it also loses one of the qualities of a good money—stability of value. It is no longer acceptable as a store of value; and it becomes an unsuitable means of delayed payment. Nobody wants to hold a wasting possession, so people try to get rid of money as quickly as possible. Inflation therefore simply stimulates（刺激）our spending and discourages saving.From the passage we can know that inflation is a situation in which________.
| A．everyone’s incomes rise |
| B．money will hold its value |
| C．we can watch our money grow |
| D．money constantly loses its value |
．In the writer’s view, if incomes and prices rise at the same rate, ________.
| A．inflation maybe still be a problem |
| B．we have nothing to worry about |
| C．inflation is no longer a problem |
| D．we will become richer and richer |
．Under inflation people are likely to ________.
| A．go to the bank more often than usual |
| B．save more money since their incomes rise |
| C．spend money quickly rather than to save it |
| D．keep money at home instead of going to banks |
．We can conclude according to the passage that ________.
| A．the writer is a government official |
| B．the writer is worried about inflation |
| C．the writer encourages people to spend money |
| D．the writer has become richer because of inflation |
. Which of the following words is omitted at the end of the underlined sentence “But it does”?
| A．matter, | B．goes. | C．rises | D．fall |
Rowena and Billy Wrangler are model high school students. They study hard and do extremely well on achievement tests. And next year，Rowena will be attending Harvard University．Billy，her younger brother，hopes to go to Cornell．What makes Rowena and Billy different from most students is that they don't go to school．In fact，they've never been to school．Since kindergarten，they've studied at home．Like many of more than one million people who receive home schooling in the United States, they feel as if they've gotten a good education．
The home-schooling trend began in the U.S．in the 1980s with parents keeping their children out of public schools so they could provide religious education at home. Today，as the home-schooling trend continues to grow，parents are more likely to consider home schooling as an option because they believe schools don't do a very good job of teaching and are occasionally dangerous places．But can parents really do a better job?
The answer in many cases is yes．In many studies，students taught at home ranked average or above average when compared to students who went to public schools．More importantly，these students were often more self-directed and have a greater depth of knowledge．They were well prepared for academic challenges．
One such student，Robert Conrad, now a sophomore at university, claims he really learned how to study and schedule his time during his eight years of home schooling．Still, not every student is as successful as Robert．“For every home-schooling success story，there are an equal number of failures．”states Henry Lipscomb，an educational researcher．“There are just so many disadvantages that students taught at home have to overcome．”For example，they have fewer chances to get in touch with others of their own age．Consequently，they sometimes lack the usual social skills．“No matter what，though，”states Lipscomb，“home-schooling is a growing trend．I think we'll be seeing more and more of this．”Compared with other students, Rowena and Billy are most different in the fact that .
| A．they preferred to teach themselves |
| B．they do extremely well on achievement tests |
| C．they don't go to school as other teenagers |
| D．they feel they have gotten a good education |
．At first in the 1980s parents gave home-schooling to children for .
| A．better education | B．religious education | C．safety | D．good behavior |
．According to the article, what is NOT the advantage of being educated at home?
| A．Home is a safer place for children． |
| B．Students taught at home are more self-directed． |
| C．Students taught at home have a greater depth of knowledge． |
| D．Students taught at home can go to good universities． |
．The writer thinks .
| A．parents can do a better job than schools |
| B．home-schooling will be more and more useful |
| C．home-schooling is good in some aspects |
| D．students taught at home make greater achievements |
．The best title of this text might be .
| A．Home-schooling：A Growing Trend |
| B．Home-schooling：A Better Choice |
| C．Home-schooling：A Way to Success |
| D．Home-schooling：A New Method of Education |
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