Asia tops the OECD solving skills test
QUESTION: Can you quickly learn to set a thermostat（温度调节器）?
Don’t look down upon such a task. It shows your ability to solve problems in creative ways, said the OECD（经合组织）. The OECD recently gave a problem-solving test to 85,000 students. They were all 15 years old, and from 44 countries.
The test give each student four to eight everyday problems to solve. For example, they had to set a thermostat, and find the quickest way to a place. Students from Singapore and South Korea did the best job, said the OECD. They were quick learners, curious（好奇的）and able to solve problems that they were not familiar with. Students from Japan and China were also among the top-performing groups. They did a better job than those from countries like the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and France.
Problem-solving skills are important, said the OECD. “Today’s 15-year-olds with poor problem-solving will become tomorrow’s adults struggling（努力）to find or keep a good job,” said Andreas, acting director of Education and Skills at the OECD. ”The world economy（经济）no longer pays you for what you know. Google knows everything .The world economy pays you for what you can do with what you know,” he said. The students from _______ performed best in the test.
| A．the US and Canada | B．the UK and the US |
| C．South Korea and Singapore | D．Australia and Canada |
Why does the OECD test the students?
| A．They want to make more money. |
| B．They want the students to help them solve the problems. |
| C．They want to help the students to solve the problems in creative ways. |
| D．They think the US students are the best at the test. |
What does the underlined word “top-performing” mean in the test?
| A．do familiar things in the test |
| B．perform the best in the test |
| C．do something carefully |
| D．develop their ability |
Why are problem-solving skills important?
| A．Because the world economy will pay you for what you know. |
| B．Because Google knows everything. |
| C．Because poor problem-solving skills will become tomorrow’s ability. |
| D．Because problem-solving skills will help you keep a good job in the future. |
When you watch TV and play video games you make global(全球的) warming worse! It may seem hard to believe, but when electricity is made, so are greenhouse gases(温室气体). This means that every time you use electricity you help make global warming worse!
Cars are also making global warming worse. They burn fossil fuels(化石燃料) in their engines, and send lots of greenhouse gases into the air.
Global warming may be a big problem, but we can all help stop it. People can try to drive their cars less. Or even get ones that run on sunlight! You can also help. Let’s try one of these top ideas:
(1) Try to use less electricity. Turn off lights, your television, and your computer when you’ve stopped using them. To make electricity, fossil fuels are burned in big factories. But burning fossil fuels also makes greenhouse gases. You should also try to watch less TV.
(2) Plant trees. Not only is it a fun thing to do, but it is also a great way to lower the number of greenhouse gases in the air. Trees take carbon dioxide out of the air when they grow.
(3) Don’t throw away your rubbish, try to recycle it. If rubbish is not recycled, it is put in the ground. There it rots(腐烂) and makes a greenhouse gas called methane(甲烷).So try to recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags and newspapers. It’ll make you feel great! And it’ll help the Earth.If we _____, we may make global warming worse.
| A．use less electricity | B．drive a car on sunlight |
| C．plant trees | D．throw away rubbish |
We may use more electricity by______.
| A．turning off lights | B．shutting down computers |
| C．turning up CD players | D．turning off TV |
______ will make global warming worse.
| A．Methane | B．Cans | C．Newspapers | D．Bottles |
Using less electricity does good to global warming because_______.
| A．the less electricity is used, the more greenhouse gases are produced |
| B．the more electricity is used, the more greenhouse gases are produced |
| C．more electricity is used, less greenhouse gases are produced |
| D．less electricity is used, more greenhouse gases are produced |
Which is the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Driving cars on sunlight helps to stop global warming. |
| B．When cars burn fossil fuels, they produce greenhouse gases. |
| C．When trees grow, they send carbon dioxide into the air. |
| D．By planting more trees, we can lower the number of greenhouse gases in the air. |
That warm day was the only day of the week without rain. I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold. An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“ Hi! My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said,” Hello, Karmen. I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.
One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she didn’t still turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will(遗嘱)， which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remembered the wonderful friendship we had.The writer came out of the house to________.
| A．look at an old lady | B．enjoy some flowers |
| C．enjoy the sunshine | D．clean the house nearby |
Through visiting the old lady, the writer learned that the old lady_______.
| A．disliked all her relatives | B．had no one to look after her |
| C．didn’t want to live with her family | D．was looking for someone to look after her |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The old lady was not kind. |
| B．The writer didn’t have any good friends. |
| C．The old lady didn’t know how to make food. |
| D．The writer got along very well with the old lady |
What does “ turn up ” mean in Paragraph 3?
| A．appear | B．leave | C．try | D．change |
In order to thank the writer, the old lady decided to_______.
| A．give the writer her favourite flowers |
| B．let the writer know she was her best friend |
| C．give the writer a key to her house |
| D．leave all that she had to the writer |
Many of us don’t pay much attention to the importance of eye care. It is said that if you take care of your body, then you can surely be healthy. That is why our eyes should be given a lot of care. Natural eye care should be put in a number one place.
There are several causes leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, genes(基因) and aging(老化). Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of having poor eyesight. If you happen to work in front of the computer, it is best to take a break every once in a while. Something dirty can cause redness and they will make you feel uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes, too. If this happens, the best way is to clean your eyes by using cold water. You must also try your best to protect your eyes from harmful things. For example，sunglasses are not just for fashion but they can also serve as a great way to protect your eyesight from UV rays.
Eating healthy foods will do good to your eyesight．Remember that vitamins A, C and E are good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And you should do eye exercises because exercise protects your eyesight, too. If a person exercises regularly and eats the right kind of food, his eyes will stay in good condition for a long time．
All above are natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. Being happy all the time can be helpful to a person’s eyesight, too. In a word, eye care is very important, no matter how old a person is．_______________ is the most important way to protect our eyes.
| A．Natural eye care | B．Taking medicine |
| C．Seeing the doctor | D．Being happy all the time. |
All the following causes can lead to bad eyesight except ____________.
| A．age | B．height | C．reading | D．computers |
What should you do if you have to work in front of the computer?
| A．Eat healthy foods. | B．Clean the eyes by using cold water. |
| C．Wear a pair of sunglasses. | D．Have a rest after working for a while. |
What do the underlined words “UV rays” mean?
| A．沙尘 | B．闪电 | C．紫外线 | D．超声波 |
Which is the best title of the passages?
| A．Ways of Eye Care | B．Ways of Eye Exercise |
| C．Ways of Being Happy | D．Ways of Being Healthy |
School uniforms are common in primary and secondary schools in many countries. Here’s a list of countries below.
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In Brazil, students wear uniforms in private schools. But in public schools, students don’t have to wear uniforms although they might have one. In general, the uniforms are a pair of blue pants and a white T-shirt with the school symbol printed on it. |
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School uniforms are used in Cuba. All students wear school uniforms with the color as a symbol of grade level. Children also wear scarves because they are young pioneers(少先队员). |
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Japan introduced school uniforms in the late 19th century. Today, school uniforms are very common. Many boys wear white shirts, short pants and caps. Girls’ uniforms might include a gray pleated (褶)skirt and a white blouse. |
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In Singapore, all students must wear uniforms. Though the colors are different from school to school. The normal uniform for boys is shorts or long pants, with a shirt (often white), while girls wear white pinafores(连衣裙) or skirts. |
In Brazil, where is the school symbol?
| A．On the pants | B．On the shoes | C．On the T-shirt | D．On the socks |
In Cuba a student wears the scarf as a symbol of _____.
| A．grade level | B．cold weather | C．public school | D．young pioneer |
A Japanese girl’s uniform is _____.
| A．a pair of blue pants and a white T-shirt |
| B．a gray skirt and a white blouse |
| C．a white shirt, short pants and a cap |
| D．a pinafore or a white skirt |
Which is true about the students’ uniforms in Singapore?
| A．School uniforms are the same as China’s. |
| B．Only the students in private schools wear uniforms. |
| C．Boys’ uniforms are different from girl’s in color. |
| D．Students usually wear white shirts or skirts. |
On the school day, a student doesn’t wear the uniform. He probably comes from ______.
| A．Brazil | B．Cuba | C．Japan | D．Singapore |
Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned(禁止) students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, teachers said mobile phone use is a distraction(娱乐) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with(与…联系) their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones .
| A．because they are students | B．when they are free |
| C．when they are at school | D．because they are children |
We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from .
| A．the makers and sellers | B．the passers-by and strangers |
| C．their parents and friends | D．some mobile phones users |
What does the underlined word cheat mean in the passage? .
| A．聊天 | B．核对 | C．查询 | D．作弊 |
Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t during school hours.
A. use their mobile phones B. leave their mobile phones at school office
D. help the teachers with their work D. get in touch with their childrenThe passage tells us that .
| A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons. |
| B．it is impossible to ban students from using mobile phones at school |
| C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school |
| D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school |
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