As a professor I have grown accustomed to the opinion regarding American education. We are repeatedly told that American schools are failing, that colleges are not teaching, and that the students of today are not as good as the students of the past.
There are, of course, problems with the education system. Because of economic inequality some schools are significantly better than others and the ideas of equality of education and equality of opportunity are cruel jokes. However, the mere fact that there are some serious problems does not mean that all the dire claims are true.
One stock (陈腐的) claim is that America has fallen behind the world in education in terms of performance on various tests. While the fact that America is behind other countries is a point of concern, there are at least three points worth considering here. The first is the above-mentioned economic inequality which will tend to result in poorer performance when taking the average for America. The second is that many countries have put considerable effort into improving their education systems and hence it is worth considering that America’s decline is also due to the improvement of others. The third is the matter of the measures— do they, in fact, present an accurate picture of the situation? I am not claiming that the data is bad. I am merely raising a reasonable concern about how accurate our picture of education is at this time.
Another stock claim is that American students are doing badly on standardized tests. While there is clearly value in assessment, it is reasonable to consider whether or not such tests are a proper and adequate measure of education. It is also worth considering whether the puzzle with these tests is itself causing damage to education. That is, as teachers teach for the test and students learn for the test, it might be the case that what is being taught is not what should be taught and what is being learned is not what should be learned.According to the professor, many people’s attitude towards American colleges is .
| A．negative | B．positive | C．approving | D．indifferent |
What does the underlined word “dire” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Exact or precise. | B．Extremely serious or terrible. |
| C．Fair or objective. | D．Long and boring. |
Judging by the text ,the claims are centered on .
| A．what should be taught in the American classroom |
| B．fair judgment of American education |
| C．American students’ performance on tests |
| D．an accurate picture of American colleges |
The passage is written mainly to .
| A．defend American education |
| B．show dissatisfaction with American education |
| C．explain why American students do badly on tests |
| D．offer advice on American education reform |
A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane(生物甲烷)gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking．
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas，Martin Orrill，said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell．The gas is produced at a sewage(污物) treatment works in Didcot．
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks．The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria(厌氧菌)digest the sewage，with the aid of enzymes(酶)to speed up the process．The digestion process produces methane，which can be burned to drive machines(甲烷)to prod
uce electricity，or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project，British Gas，Scotia Gas Network，and Thames Water，all hope to expand the process to other towns，and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned．One of these projects in Manchester could be supplying 500 homes with biometh
ane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery(啤酒厂)waste to around 235 families．
The Didcot project cost￡25 million and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies．An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020．
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually．If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology，they could supply gas for up to 350, 000 families.. Which of the following is TRUE of the biomethane gas?
| A．it’s mainly made from rotting plants | B．It’s an environmentally friendly gas |
| C．Its production process is too long | D．It’s easily recognized by customers |
. What is the function of the enzymes?
| A．To digest the solid waste material | B．To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria |
| C．To help purify the biomethane． | D．To speed up the digestion process． |
. According to the passage，the biomethane gas had better be used .
| A．as the power for vehicles | B．for heating and cooking |
| C．to produce electricity | D．to drive a variety of machines |
. The last three paragraphs mainly show that .
| A．the UK government supports the biomethane projects |
| B．the biomethane projects are very costly |
| C．the biomethane projects still face many barriers |
D．the biomethane project s are promising |
. . What should the text belong to?
| A．Computer science | B．Engineering | C．Energy | D．Business |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world．But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing．
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar．Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers．It’s a great opportunity to make new friends，join lots of clubs and settle into university life．
However，having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind，you can feel nervous when meeting lots of strangers in big halls. Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot．So just take it all in slowly．Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here are some to
p tips from past students on how to survive Freshers’ week:
·Learn rules．Make sure you know British social etiquette (礼节)．Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for
your housemates and friends.
·Be kind．Sometimes cups of tea or even pieces of French fries can give you a good start in making friends.
·Be sociable．The more active you are, the more 1ikely you’ll meet new people than if you’re someone who is shy and never leaves his room.
·Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.
So with a bit of clever planning and motivation，Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to the next year’s recruits.. . Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
| A．October is generally the busiest month for universities |
| B．It’s a good idea to put a doorstop in your suitcase |
| C．A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier |
| D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week |
. . The underlined word “recruits” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．courses | B．freshers |
| C．neighbors | D．challenges |
. We can infer from Paragraph 4 that .
| A．the newcomers usually miss the days at home |
| B．most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities |
| C．many freshers are worried about how to fit university 1ife |
| D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
. Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
| A．To pass the busy university life |
| B．To help make friends with other freshers |
| C．To show yourself drinker as others |
| D．To pass the time in a happy way |
. ．The main purpose of the passage is to .
| A．tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
B．introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
| C．discuss something about the Freshers’ Week in the UK |
| D．advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning |
Donna Simpson weighs more than 600 pounds and aims to reach 1，000 pounds．The New Jersey woman is carrying a series of activities to become the world’s fattest living woman，admitting that she is as hungry for attention as she is for calorie-rich food．
Donna，who wears XXXXXXXL dresses, eats pounds of junk food and tries to move as little as possible．The 42-year-old woman is a model on a website，where a
dmirers and the curious can pay to watch videos of her eating food or walking to the car．She appeare
d in TV interviews and
said she welcomed media coverage．
Simpson has submitted a claim to the Guinness World Records for the title of the world’s heaviest woman to give birth．Among the heaviest women ever recorded was one who reportedly weighed 1，800 pounds and another who reportedly weighed 1,200 pounds at the time of their
deaths．
You might expect her husband to advise her to lose weight，but it is the other way round．To achieve her goal，Donna says she will need to eat up to 12，000 calories a day，compared to 2000 calories that a normal woman needs．
When she came across the website which made very fat women widely known，she came to know there were many women faced with the same problems．And after she admitted her real size，e-mails from people poured in．They sent her gifts through the post，expressing their care
for her．Donna was not feeling sorry for her goal，though she might risk her own life in the process．However, some have a different voice in Donna’s behavior．They hold that it is more important to do something useful than to become popular．After all，there are so many children faced with the shortage of food throughout the world．. . One reason why Donna Simpson wants to be the heaviest woman is that .
| A．she is fond of challenging herself |
| B．she wants to advertise for food |
| C．she is crazy about public attention |
| D．she hopes to make fat women confident |
. . We can learn from the passage that ．
| A．Simpson is much fatter than any other woman |
| B．Simpson’s videos can be watched on the Internet |
| C．Simpson has broken the Guinness World Record |
| D．Simpson’s husband is strongly against her plan |
. . What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Simpson will go on a diet to keep fit |
| B．There’s no way for one to reach 1000 pounds |
| C．Most people take pity on Simpson |
| D．Simpson will take measures to achieve her goal |
. . The author’s attitude towards Donna Simpson would be ．
| A．negative | B．uncertain | C．encouraging | D．annoying |
. . What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Meet with the fattest person in the world |
| B．What’s the matter with Donna Simpson? |
| C．A US woman decided to be the world’s heaviest |
| D．The super-sized model planned to lose weight |
Trekking through the mists of the Huangshan mountains , I came upon a young man painting the scenery with traditional brush and ink on rice paper. He smiled proudly as he showed me his work. It was indeed quite beautiful for a painting , but it paled compared to the living scene before my eyes: mountaintops surrounded by light clouds, an endless dance of wind and fog that changes alternately in the dark hills beneath. How futile it must feel for a mere human being to try to capture that , I thought.
Yet for centuries ,these mountains in the heart of China have been a destination for artists and poets , who come to commune with nature in one of its more striking pose-and struggle to replicate its beauty. Along with the artists and poets come lovers ,who grasp locks symbolic of their undying love to the chain fences that protect hikers from the steep cliffs .Seventy miles of trials wind around 72peaks , the two majestic of which are Capital of Heaven and Lotus Flower.
In 1990 ,UNESCO declared Huangshan a Cultural and Natural Property , thereby ensuring that the area’s physical beauty will be preserved forever. Pheasant and deer abound. Hundreds of plants are said to heal the body and the famous hot springs are known for their healing qualities . An hour’s meditation in one of these pools is a great way to end a day of hiking .
The three staging areas for Huangshan visitors are Jade Screen, the Hot Spring area and the North Sea. The Xi Hai and Bei Hai ,located on different summits are three-star hotels serving Chinese and Western food as well as wine and liquor from East and West.
Huangshan may not be exactly off the beaten path , but it is on a road well worth taking. The writer thought the young man ‘s painting .
A not a bit beautiful B not as beautiful as the living scene
C more beautiful than the living scene D beautiful enough to caught the nature’s beauty Why would lovers like to grasp locks to the chain fences?
A because locks symbolize lovers’ forever love
B because locks can protect lovers from the cliffs
C because locks help lovers climb to the top quickly
D because locks contribute to enjoy nature easily What is the purpose of the passage?
A To introduce some hotels in Huangshan mountains
B To recommend Huangshan mountains to tourists
C To speak highly of the beauty of Huangshan mountains
D To stress the convenience to climb Huangshan mountains
Since the gene , called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging ,immunity and resistance in humans the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits such as immunity,”said Robin May , who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace , bring potentially big challenges for health and social care systems . A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in rich world today will live to celebrate their 100th birthday . Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend go hand in hang “ May said in an interview
May’s team compared longevity ,stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAV-16 in each of the four species and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes , which scientists believe play a role in the aging process. “The fact that subtle differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and many explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution，”May saidIn which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A Education B Science C Entertainment D Culture According to May ,
A resistance has a lot of to do with aging B FOXO genes can be found in worms
C genes play the same role in difference species D new drugs will change the genes in older peopleFrom the text we know that DAF-16
A is a gene that is only found in worms B can make people live longer
C has an effect on aging and immunity D has been quite familiar to scientists
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