Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All_this_hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(考试的突击准备) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p．m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.The students spend the least time in school in ________.
| A．the UK | B．Finland | C．the USA | D．Korea |
According to the text, we think in Korea ________.
| A．students spend more time in studying |
| B．students are tired of studying in class |
| C．students leave their school early |
| D．students are always top scorers |
The underlined phrase “All this hothousing” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.
| A．private evening tutoring | B．selfstudy at home |
| C．longhour study | D．school study |
From Paragraph 3, we can know that ________.
| A．Finnish students are less stressed in study |
| B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain |
| C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia |
| D．British schools are less competitive than universities |
According to the author, the key to improving education is ________.
| A．the attitude | B．the schooling time |
| C．star pupils | D．new teaching approach |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise--he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．6 | D．7 |
When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_________”.
| A．I give him the cold shoulder |
| B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| C．I think he is a cold fish |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.
| A．she is a cold-blooded killer |
| B．she gets cold feet |
| C．she is a cold fish |
| D．she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
| A．cold-blooded | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold feet | D．cold-hearted |
The topic of this passage is about _________.
| A．the relationship between cold and our body |
| B．some expressions about friendship |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．how cold weather comes into being |
More than 30,000 people went to the White House on Monday for the 136th Easter Egg Roll (复活节滚彩蛋). President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama held the event by inviting thousands of kids to color and look for eggs. The theme(主题) of the day was “Hop Into Healthy, Swing Into Shape.” It was part of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” program to reduce obesity rates (肥胖率) among American kids. Mrs. Obama spoke to young reporters about her goal(目标) to get children to eat right and keep moving.
“We are working to make sure that kids born today grow up healthy, learn how to have balanced meals, and get more physical activity into their lives,” she said.
Mrs. Obama said she wants children across the nation to understand that "exercise isn't just hard work, it's play. If you’re running around with your dog, you're getting exercise. If you walk up the stairs, that's exercise, But if you’re sitting in front of the TV or on a computer game, you're not exercising.”
The First Lady said that for kids who have balanced meals most of the time, having a special snack, like chocolate, will not hurt." And if you are active, you can splurge (挥霍) a little more," she said. Mrs. Obama’s favorite "splurge food" is French fries. But she balances her splurging by exercising almost every day. She loves to play tennis and she practices yoga.
“A lot of kids look up to(敬仰) athletes, and I think it's important for athletes to share their good habits,” Mrs. Obama said. "Kids aren’t just going to wake up and be LeBron James. He's practicing and eating right and working out and training. Our athletes can be really good messengers to kids who look up to them--they can say to kids, 'If you really want to be like me, then you really do need to eat your vegetables.’”The purpose of the “Let’s Move!” program is to .
| A．help kids keep healthy |
| B．train more young reporters |
| C．encourage kids to eat more eggs |
| D．invite kids to visit the White House |
In Mrs. Obama’s opinion, exercise .
| A．can be fun to do |
| B．means hard work |
| C．should be done outdoors |
| D．requires special equipment |
“Splurge food” is allowed to be eaten when .
| A．you don' t hurt yourself |
| B．you have a special snack |
| C．you never eat French fries |
| D．you eat right and stay active |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．All kids want to be LeBron James. |
| B．It is very easy to form good habits. |
| C．Athletes can set a good example for kids. |
| D．Kids like the messages the athletes give them. |
In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?
| A．Business. | B．Health. |
| C．Culture. | D．Education. |
Today, nearly 400 animals are listed as threatened or endangered animals in the United States. Many are at risk of becoming extinct or disappearing permanently. Unless efforts to save these vulnerable(易受攻击的) animals succeed, many of the country's greatest creatures will be lost forever. From the facts listed, guess which animals are endangered. Click on the picture to find out more about each of these animals in trouble.
American Crocodile
●American crocodiles are about 12 feet long. They live on land and in shallow water, swamps and marshes.
●American crocodiles like to float in the water with only their eyes and noses above the water surface.
●American crocodiles eat mostly small animals, which they grab with their strong jaws and sharp teeth.
●American crocodiles lay eggs. They hide their eggs under twigs and leaves, or bury them in the sand.
●Some crocodiles help their young hatch, and then carry them to the water in their mouth.
Habitat
Southern Florida, Mexico, Central and South American, Caribbean islands.
Why It's Endangered
Overhunted for its skin and habitat destruction.
Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
●Bighorn sheep can weigh as much as 280 pounds and stand about 3 feet tall.
●They live in dry, desert mountain ranges, near rocky cliffs.
●Bighorn sheep eat grass, twigs and leaves.
●Male sheep are called rams and can be recognized by their huge, brown horns. The horns curl back over the ears, down，and up past the cheeks.
●They live in herds or groups. The male sheep with the biggest horns are usually in charge. Male horns can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
●Males will use their massive horns to fight. The fights can last as long as 24 hours.
●Females are called ewes. They are smaller than rams and have shorter, smaller horns.
Habitat
Nevada and California to west Texas and south into Mexico.
Why It's Endangered
Loss of habitat, hunting illegally, drought and disease.Where can the article be found according to the passage?
| A．Newspaper. | B．Website. |
| C．Student book. | D．Magazine. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the description about American crocodiles?
| A．American crocodiles live on land and in swamps and marshes. |
| B．American crocodiles hide their eggs under leaves, or bury them in the sand. |
| C．American crocodiles grab small animals with their strong jaws and sharp teeth. |
| D．American crocodiles like to float with their eyes and nose below the water surface. |
Where can we find both American crocodiles and Bighorn sheep according to the passage?
| A．Southern Florida. | B．California. |
| C．Mexico. | D．West Texas. |
Rams make use of their massive horns to ________.
| A．master the herds | B．show their beauty |
| C．fight with others | D．hunt for food |
What can be the best title?
| A．Animals in Danger |
| B．American Crocodile |
| C．Peninsular Bighorn Sheep |
| D．How to Save Animals in Danger |
At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey to teach in a school. She saw that these communities needed complimentary education for their citizens, and she took action by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. But later, ignoring her, officials named a male instead as the head teacher. Disappointed, she left her job and moved to Washington D.C., becoming the first woman employed by the US Patent Office.
Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the army in the Civil War. She saw doctors use leaves when dealing with injuries since they had nothing else. The medical supplies were well behind the army, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a truck of medical supplies that she collected personally some years ago. Miss Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war.
She helped in the identification of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. This non-stop work made her fully exhausted, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe where she recovered energy and enriched herself.
While in Europe, and still in poor health, Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on people brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, which encouraged her to create the Red Cross, which served the whole army and common people under a neutral flag.
Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war after the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters as well. This was her lasting legacy (遗产), an agency that still provides aid to all people today.What does the underlined word mean in the first paragraph?
| A．Public. | B．Personal. |
| C．Free. | D．Advanced. |
Why did Clara Barton bring her personal medical supplies
A There were no medical supplies for the army at all.
B. The army’s supplies couldn’t catch up with them.
C. The army’s supplies weren’t good enough to treat soldiers.
D. The enemies cut off the connection between the army and medical supplies.Clara Barton set up the Red Cross because of _______.
| A．her experiences in Europe |
| B．her poor health |
| C．the lack of supplies for the army |
| D．her work in the US Patent Office |
The US government agreed to establish the Red Cross because Clara Barton _______.
| A．gave a lot of her legacy |
| B．said there might be wars in the future |
| C．explained it would help people in peacetime as well. |
| D．claimed it could save people from the France-Prussia war. |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．The history of American Civil War. |
| B．A general introduction to Clara Barton. |
| C．Clara Barton’s contributions to the US. |
| D．The Establishment of the American Red Cross. |
Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the "descendants (传人) of the dragon" In Chinese, "excellent" people are often called "dragons". A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one's child will become a dragon," which means hoping he or she will be successful.
It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous "dragons" who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.
There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head – Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the "descendants of the dragon", it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be "dragons".
This year is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you! What does the Chinese dragon symbolize?
| A．A combination of many animals. |
| B．Chinese sayings and idioms. |
| C．Traditional festivals. |
| D．Strength and good luck. |
In the passage, the underlined sentence "Hoping one's child will become a dragon." means in Chinese.
| A．龙马精神 | B．龙飞凤舞 |
| C．望子成龙 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
What characteristics may the people born in the Year of the Dragon have?
They may be _______.
| A．creative, confident, brave and powerful |
| B．creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| C．lovely, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| D．lucky, confident, creative and successful |
Which of the following years is the Year of the Dragon?
| A．1988. | B．1998. |
| C．2008. | D．2018. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Dragons are real animals. |
| B．There are many Chinese sayings and idioms about dragons. |
| C．People born in the Year of the Dragon must be successful |
| D．The "descendants of the dragon" are often called "dragons". |
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