When six the very best students from different cities in Guangdong province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best students of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Peking or Tsinghua University; when the highest enrollment (录取) rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is.
Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Peking or Tsinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.
It's no doubt to call this HK craze (狂热), which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves.
How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Peking and Tsinghua and attract so many mainland students?
First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum scholarship as much as 400,000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.
Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual (双语) education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.
Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.
Can mainland top universities like Peking or Tsinghua University calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it.
The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.
At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees (学费) are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．The competition between HK University and Peking University. |
| B．Higher education in Hong Kong. |
| C．Some thought brought by the enrollment of HK universities. |
| D．The fall of mainland universities. |
Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because ______.
| A．HK universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study |
| B．they concern only about the tuition fees when choosing universities |
| C．many students now would love to study abroad to get a better experience |
| D．Peking university has lost its worldwide reputation |
From the passage we can see HK universities _______.
| A．didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland |
| B．are proud of their teaching staff and facilities |
| C．have strict enrollment rules and only 1 out of 48 students can get the chance to study there |
| D．didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular |
What does the author mean by saying “It’s time to move” in the last paragraph?
| A．The opportunities come for top students to study abroad. |
| B．Mainland universities should take measures as soon as possible to attract students. |
| C．Mainland universities should make full preparations to challenge HK universities. |
| D．Top students should be offered further education free of charge. |
In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand with a small notepad and a hole for a pencil.
I'm looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can't be the same pencil. The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
"I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years." I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. "You still use a pencil. Can't you afford a pen?"
My mother replies a little sharply. "It works perfectly well; I've always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days. "
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, "One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on."
This story, which happened before I was born, reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is also a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible exhibits at every meal.Why has the author's mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?
| A．To leave messages. |
| B．To list her everyday tasks. |
| C．To note down math problems. |
| D．To write down a flash of inspiration. |
What is the author's original opinion about the wooden stand?
| A．It has great value for the family. |
| B．It needs to be replaced. |
| C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood. |
| D．It should be passed on to the next generation. |
The author feels embarrassed for____________.
| A．blaming her mother wrongly |
| B．giving her mother a lot of trouble |
| C．not making good use of time as her mother did |
| D．not making any breakthrough in her field |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The mother is successful in her career. |
| B．The family members like traveling. |
| C．The author had little time to play when young. |
| D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared. |
In my opinion, there is only one legitimate (合法的) handgun sport and that is aim practice. It is practiced at objects which are properly monitored and usually quite safe. Only certain handguns are true “sporting weapons”, seen as such by the sport’s lovers.
On the other hand, shooting at tin cans and other small objects in one’s backyard is not and should not be considered a serious sport. When uncontrolled, it can be a very dangerous practice.
Some opponents (反对者) of handgun control have stated that we are out to stop all hunting and that controlling the handgun would severely affect hunting. That is simply untrue. Handgun control would in no way limit the freedom of the true hunter. Few if any hunters consider the handgun an effective hunting weapon.
There are a few hunters who do hunt with handguns, but most states place restrictions (限制) on the type of guns that can be used in hunting, the reason is that killing of game should be done in as humane (人道的) a way as possible. Some small handguns are more likely to wound the animal rather than kill it at once. Only long guns, rifles and shotguns are effective arms of hunting.
People must understand that handguns and hunters are separate matters. Because most of the hunters use a rifle or shotgun, there is no reason why their search for game and sport should be affected by handgun control. Mixing the anti-hunting matter with the handgun matter confuses the killing of animals with killing of people.In the writer’s opinion, people should use handguns only when .
| A．hunters shoot at animals |
| B．they aim at a criminal |
| C．objects are under control |
| D．objects are only small tin cans in the backyard |
According to the writer, hunting is not affected by handgun control because .
| A．hunters can use knives rather than guns to hunt animals |
| B．state government encourages hunters to use other guns |
| C．nobody cares what weapons are used to kill animals |
| D．most hunters use rifles rather than handguns |
This passage mainly talks about .
| A．the relation between hunting and handgun control |
| B．the importance of aim practice |
| C．how handgun control affects hunting |
| D．different types of guns used in hunting |
Weekend Miracles
Weekend Miracles give children aged 9 and older in the Children’s Center the opportunity to visit a host family who partners the child to find the child a permanent family. The host family arranges activities that the child will enjoy and introduces the child to their circle of friends—in order to develop a lasting connection with someone.
Organization: Kidsave International
Location: the United States
Duration: 2 days to 6 weeks
Web Designer Needed
We need the skills of a Web designer to help us redesign our website. The project will be fun and fulfilling, and give much needed visibility (能见性) to our grass-roots projects that are serving children and mothers in every corner of the world.
Organization: Children’s Fund
Location: the United States
Duration: 3 weeks to 2 months
Living Miracles
Doctors and dentists are needed as volunteers at Shechen Medical Clinic in Nepal for two months or longer. In Tibet, we need doctors for only 1-2 months. Dentists can come for one month or longer. Please understand that modern conveniences are not available here.
Organization: Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship
Location: Nepal
Duration: 21 days to 6 years
Teaching English to Children in India
The Salus Foundation, Inc. needs help from volunteers, teachers, college students or recent college graduates trained in ESL, or who are willing to be trained in ESL to teach English to the students at the Sulaxim School.
Organization: The Salus Foundation, Inc.
Location: India
Duration: 6 weeks to 9 months
Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Cameroon
In Defense of Animals in Africa needs help from highly motivated, mature volunteers who care about the conservation of great apes and are willing to live in an isolated, challenging, French-speaking environment for six months to benefit our future generation.
Organization: In Defense of Animals in Africa
Location: Cameroon
Duration: 6 monthsWe can infer from the passage that .
| A．serving children in every corner of the world is the Web designer’s duty |
| B．volunteers going to Cameroon should be able to speak French |
| C．more dentists are needed than doctors in Nepal |
| D．the time you work in one of these places can be changed |
Which of the following fields is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Health | B．Education | C．Politics | D．Wildlife conservation |
Which of the following is suitable for John, an American college student, who wants to learn about the lives of children in other countries?
| A．Weekend Miracles |
| B．Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Cameroon |
| C．Web Designer Needed |
| D．Teaching English to Children in India |
The purpose of Weekend Miracles is mainly to help children .
| A．enlarge their circle of friends |
| B．learn more about the outside world |
| C．find a family who is willing to raise them |
| D．get chances to communicate with other children |
Urban legends are stories that are told and believed in many places．Too many places，in fact．It simply isn’t credible that the same unlikely events take place in so many different towns．For some reason，though，that particular set of events appeals to the imagination and the tale spreads．
A very common North American urban legend concerns a mad man in the woods．A dangerous mad man has escaped from a hospital for the mentally ill．At some point in his life he has lost a hand and it has been replaced by a hook．A boy and a girl are out dating，sitting in a car．They hear on the radio that the area is dangerous，so they drive off．When they arrive home they find a bloodstained hook hanging on the door handle of the car door next to the girl．
Missing kidney(肾)stories are fairly common．Of course，the details are variable．It might be a woman waking up in a strange hotel in Bangkok，or a man finding himself in a cold bath in Toronto．or a young man with faint memories of wild disco party，but they all find a flesh wound，and discover that one of their kidneys has been removed and，probably, sold．
The back seat killer has plenty of drama．A woman gets into her Car late at night．Another Car follows her, speeding，flashing lights and really frightening her．She gets home and keeps on pressing the horn．Her husband runs out．The chasing car stops．The husband demands to know why the driver has been frightening his wife．He says he saw a strange man get into the back of the car as the wife got in，and then hide．They go and look，and there is a dangerous mad man...What is the writer’s attitude towards “urban legends”?
| A．Curious． | B．Disgusted． | C．Frightened． | D．Doubtful． |
What can be inferred from the hook hanging on the Car door?
| A．The mad man left it there as a warning． |
| B．The mad man narrowly escaped being injured in a car accident． |
| C．The mad man had just been about to attack the girl． |
| D．The boy had meant to frighten the girl with it． |
What do we know about the three people mentioned in the third paragraph?
| A．They had their kidney removed when they were unconscious． |
| B．They sold their kidneys for profit． |
| C．They were suffering loss of memories． |
| D．They had been wounded before the accident． |
Why does the woman driver keep on pressing the horn?
| A．To warn the other driver not to follow her． |
| B．To give herself enough courage to face the danger． |
| C．To made her husband aware of something urgent． |
| D．To inform her family of her safe return． |
How should we describe the second driver in the 4th paragraph?
| A．Crazy． | B．Dangerous． | C．Brave． | D．Helpful． |
In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may________.
| A．cause a shortage of apartments |
| B．worry those who rent apartments as homes. |
| C．increase the profits of landlords. |
| D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartments. |
We can safely say that rent control_________.
| A．will always benefit those who rent apartments. |
| B．is unnecessary. |
| C．will probably bring inactive effects in the long run. |
| D．is necessary under all conditions |
There will be the problem of unemployment if ________________.
| A．the minimum wage is set too high.. |
| B．the minimum wage is set too early. |
| C．the workers are unskilled. |
| D．the maximum wage is set for poor workers. |
The passage tells us about _______________.
| A．the relationship between supply and demand. |
| B．the possible results of government controls. |
| C．the necessity of government control. |
| D．the urgency of getting rid of government control. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted. |
| B．Minimum wage cannot always protect employees. |
| C．Economic theory can help predict the results of economic decision if other factors are not changing. |
| D．Economists usually have the same prediction about an economic decision. |
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