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. |
According to the passage, we can see that both writers______.
| A．have changed their jobs | B．like sports very much |
| C．feel unhappy at work | D．are looking for jobs |
The reason why the first writer take up the jobs as a clown is that_____.
| A．he has had a disease for two years. | B．he needs a much easier job |
| C．he wants to be a successful man | D．he wishes to help people |
The second writer mentions famous people in the passage to show that_____.
| A．they are always rich | B．they have stress sometimes |
| C．they like funny people | D．they are good at doing yoga |
The underlined part “fed up” is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．interested | B．satisfied | C．disappointed | D．bored |
It can be learned from the passage that both writers think of their jobs as______.
| A．happy moments to learn from other people |
| B．great chances to make themselves well known |
| C．rich expensive of acting on the stage |
| D．good ways of making people happy and healthy |
阅读下面短文，根据短文内容完成句子。
Do you know that each child in school catches six to ten colds every year? Though there is no cure for colds, there are some suggestions for you to avoid getting a cold.
First, you can avoid catching a cold by practicing healthy habits. Begin by eating healthy foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink milk and juice. Other healthy habits include getting plenty of sleep at night and lots of exercise.
Next, you should try to avoid contact with the viruses that cause colds. If you can, stay away from large crowds. When people cough(咳嗽) and sneeze(打喷嚏), the cold virus goes into the air. Do not share a drinking cup, fork, or spoon with someone else because that could spread the virus. Washing you hands is also a good way not to catch a cold. The cold virus may be on the things like telephones and money. Shaking another person’s hand could even spread the virus. By washing your hands, you can stop the virus from infecting(传染).
Following the suggestion above until doctors find a way to stop the viruses that cause colds. Each child in school catches colds every year.
Though there is no cure, there are some for you to avoid getting a cold.
When people cough and sneeze, the cold virus the air.
You’d better not share a drinking cup with someone else because .
By washing your hands, you can from infecting you.
Is there intelligent (有智力的) life on other planets? For years, scientists said “no.” or “we don’t know.” But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers(天文学家). They believe intelligent life exists (存在) somewhere in the universe. They also think we sill soon contact these beings(人；生物).
Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. “This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life,” say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size—the universe is huge. “Tools like the Hubble Telescope(哈勃望远镜) have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies,” says Shostak. “And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth.”
In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes(高倍望远镜) allow scientists to discover smaller planets—the size of Mars or Earth—in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life.
Have beings from space already visited Earth? “Probably not,” says Shostak. “It’s a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals(信号). In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don’t have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other.”Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are _____.
| A．astronomers | B．farmers | C．singers | D．drivers |
What is the best title for Paragraph 2?
| A．The Age and Size of Earth |
| B．Our Galaxy: The Milky Way |
| C．Why Intelligent Life Might Exist |
| D．Earth: The Only Planet with Intelligent Life |
Why was it hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe in the past?
| A．There were not any smaller planets. |
| B．There were not any powerful telescopes. |
| C．The astronomers were not interested in them. |
| D．The Milky Way didn’t exist at that time, |
Why haven’t beings from space visited us yet according to Shostak?
| A．They’re afraid of us. |
| B．It’s a long way away. |
| C．They don’t want to see us. |
| D．They don’t know how to use radio signals. |
What does the underlined phrase “life forms” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Messages | B．Tools | C．Intelligent beings | D．Radio signals |
How green are you? Do you know how to be green?
We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.
Reduce
Reduce means “use less”. Don’t waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary—or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.
Reuse
Reuse means “use again”. Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don’t use a paper cup of a paper bag. It’s better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.
Recycle
Recycle means “change things into something else”. Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it’s better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.
So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.What is the passage about?
| A．How to produce things. | B．How to burn things. |
| C．How to help others. | D．How to be green. |
Which of the following is right?
| A．Don’t waste things. | B．Always throw away old things. |
| C．Always buy new things. | D．Buy too many things from abroad. |
Why is it better to use a china cup and a lunch box?
| A．You can burn them. |
| B．You can use them again. |
| C．You can throw them away. |
| D．You can change them into something else. |
To protect the environment, we should remember these three words: _______.
| A．waste, reuse and recycle | B．repair, burn and recycle |
| C．reduce, reuse and recycle | D．reduce, waste and recycle. |
The passage may come from ______.
| A．a menu | B．a dictionary | C．a storybook | D．a magazine |
A man lived in a village. He had an old cat at home. The cat couldn’t run fast, and she couldn’t bite, because she was so old. One day, when she saw a mouse, she jumped and caught it. But she could not bite it. The mouse got out of her mouth and ran away.
Then the man became very angry and began to beat the cat. The cat said, “Don’t beat your old servant. I know I’m old and can’t kill a mouse. But I have worked for you for many years, and I still want to work for you. Be kind to the old, and remember what good work they did when they were young.”
When the man heard that, he realized that he was wrong.Where did the man live?
| A．In a village. | B．In a city. | C．In a factory. | D．In a hotel. |
What could the old cat do?
| A．Run fast. | B．Bite. | C．Catch a mouse. | D．Kill a mouse. |
How did the man feel when the mouse ran away?
| A．Angry. | B．Happy. | C．Afraid. | D．Sad. |
How long did the cat work for the man?
| A．Several days. | B．A few months. | C．About a year. | D．Many years. |
What happened at the end of the story?
| A．The cat left home. | B．The man realized his mistake. |
| C．The man killed the cat. | D．The man didn’t believe the cat. |
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