Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates. Sixth formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude (智能) tests, which are designed to assess (评价) thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional tests to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer (标准) of ability.
In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight As at A-level. Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional tests to identify the most able candidates. "The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process," he said. "The potential to achieve three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place."
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university's Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3, 000. A survey of 16, 830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2, 860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests —a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges—to make iteasier to pick out the best candidates.What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
| A．Approving. |
| B．Doubtful. |
| C．Opposed. |
| D．Neutral (中立的) |
Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?
| A．Harvard. |
| B．Oxford. |
| C．Cambridge. |
| D．Washington |
What can we know about the A-level system?
| A．It can indicate the brightest candidates. |
| B．It was designed to assess students' thinking abilities. |
| C．It is longer an accurate way to assess students' abilities. |
| D．It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones. |
| B．The reform will be applied by all universities in the future. |
| C．Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students. |
| D．Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to get into leading universities. |
| B．The disadvantages of the A-level system. |
| C．Different ways to identify students' abilities. |
| D．Universities using extra exams to choose students. |
In the U.S., people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.
Which statement is true?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．Tips shouldn’t be given to the waiter or waitress. |
| C．Orange juice is served before you order |
| D．American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What does the underlined word “doggie bag” mean in the article? It means ______.
| A．a bag with a picture of a dog on it |
| B．a bag used to carry dogs |
| C．a small bag for taking the food left over home to enjoy it later |
| D．a small bag for taking the food left over home for dogs |
Sunday dinner is _______.
| A．a dinner in the evening | B．a big noon meal |
| C．a big lunch Sunday | D．a supper on Sunday |
If a person pays 200 yuan in a restaurant, how many tips are given to the waiter?
| A．30 yuan. | B．60 yuan. | C．80 yuan. | D．90 yuan. |
Every day we meet people in a number of business and social situations. And the way we meet and greet them creates an impression. It’s important to do so in a proper way, no matter whether you are introducing yourself to someone, or introducing two people. To keep you aware of this, we have gathered tips on how to make a proper introduction.
◎Always stand when making an introduction.
When you are seated and someone comes up to greet you, make the effort to stand up. By doing this, you show respect for yourself and for the other person.
◎Always keep eye contact while making an introduction.
Many people are not aware of the value of this simple action. When you make eye contact, you are giving a confident image.
◎Always introduce a person of lesser authority to one of greater authority. The most important thing to remember is to say the most important person’s name first.
For example, when introducing your supervisor to a job candidate (求职应征者), you would give your supervisor’s name first. “Bob Jones, may I introduce Susan Lee, who has just graduated from ABC University?”
◎In a situation where rank is unimportant, an introduction is based on sex and age. A man is presented to a woman and a younger woman to an older woman.
What if you find yourself in a situation where you have forgotten the other person’s name? Start with a handshake and reintroduce (再介绍) yourself. When doing this, you will usually cause the other person to do the same.
However, if the other person does not take your suggestion, it is OK simply to apologize and let the person know that you cannot remember her or his name. This is not the ideal situation, of course, but it does happen to all of us. The other person should be forgiving. The article gives you advice on ________.
how to make a self-introduction
how to make a proper introduction
how to leave a good impression on people
how to greet people in social situations According to the passage, people will think you are ________ if you don’t make eye contact with them.
| A．not honest | B．not confident | C．shy | D．unfriendly |
What should you do when you introduce a new worker to your boss?
| A．You should not give your boss’ name. |
| B．You should give the new worker’s name first. |
| C．You needn’t give your boss’ name |
| D．You should give your boss’ name first |
If you forget the other person’s name, you’d better _______.
| A．ask him/her directly |
| B．apologize first and then ask him/her |
| C．shake hands with the person and reintroduce yourself |
| D．consider his age first |
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louver Museum(卢浮宫) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum, hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later. During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
We can infer from the text that .
| A．the Mona Lisa is proved to be able to last another 500 years. |
| B．Mona Lisa’s beauty is fading gradually with 500 years passing by |
| C．the Mona Lisa has been catching people’s wide attention in the past 500 years |
| D．Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago |
Which of the following is true about the Mona Lisa?
| A．It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces. |
| B．Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade. |
| C．Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles |
| D．King Francis I bought it and then returned it to Italy. |
Choose the right order about the happenings onto Mona Lisa.
a. It was stolen from the Louvre.
b. Its painter sold it to King Francis I.
c. Its state of health was checked.
d. It was returned to France and housed in the Louver Museum.
e. It was hidden and protected against Germans.
| A．b-a-d-e-c | B．d-e-c-b-a | C．d-a-e-c-b | D．b-c-a-d-e |
It may add to the difficulty in repairing the painting that .
| A．experts haven’t noticed changes in its shape as visitors do |
| B．it is likely to be stolen again when it’s under repair |
| C．it is uncertain which country, Italy or France, should take charge |
| D．experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint |
In 2003, the government banned Internet cafes from receiving customers under18. However, Shanghai plans to bring online games as well as cartoons and comics to its schools. “The influence of online games on young people cannot be ignored, ”said Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SMEC). “We should choose the right game for them as online games are becoming part of their life.”
School teachers shared the same idea. "My students are like studying machines who are busy with homework all day," said Chen Hong, who is a teacher of Chinese in Shanghai Weiyu Middle School . "We should find ways to let them relax and online games may be a good way to do this."
"In role-playing games, you imagine yourself as a hero who fights against outlaws and saves their victims," said Shen Xia, a teacher from Shanghai Hongxing Middle School. "That is a good feeling for a kid. They gain success and confidence from the game. But the important thing is to make sure they don‘t become escapists, mixing up reality and the imaginary world. "
"Multi-media has proven to be an effective teaching tool. Students enjoy learning something while they are playing games,' said Yan, an expert on education from the Shanghai Educational Press Group , "Online games will be a new teaching method in which they can learn at the same time as entertaining themselves. "
"I have dreamed that one day students will have courses via online games, "Yan added.
"The idea is practical, "Li Lijun, director of the Public Relations Department of Shanda, China’s online game giant; told the Shanghai Star. “If it proves to be successful, it will start a revolution in educational theory and practice. " The above writing is most likely to appear in _________.
| A．an official paper | B．a government notice | C．a newspaper | D．a meeting memo (备忘录) |
According to Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the SMEC, __________.
| A．it is not practical to forbid young people playing online games completely |
| B．online games have strong influence on young people so they should be banned |
| C．young people can't go without online games which are becoming part of their life |
| D．internet cafes should be allowed to receive customers under 18 |
According to the teachers and experts, online games have the following advantages EXCEPT that _____.
| A．online games will let their students relax after busy work |
| B．online games will make their students become a hero |
| C．online games wilt bring good experiences to their students |
| D．online games will become an effective teaching tool |
What is the purpose of the above writing?
| A．To inform its readers of some information. |
| B．To argue about the advantages and disadvantages of online games. |
| C．To give some comments on online games. |
| D．To give a support to online games. |
What can be inferred from the above writing?
| A．Hopefully, young people in Shanghai will be playing online games at school. |
| B．Online games will bring success to young people in Shanghai. |
| C．Young people in Shanghai are having courses via online games. |
| D．School teachers have opposite opinions about online games. |
PHUKET, Thailand—— Narkis Koral, 23, and Oren Mesika, 24, had no sense of the terrible tsunami that hit Southeast Asia: They were having “a good time ”on the island of Koh Chang in Thailand and only learned of their present situation hours later, through friends who received phone calls from home.
Even though the pair, both from Arad, escaped the tsunami’ s anger, it did not change the fact that their parents were worried
“Our mothers worried a lot, ”says Koral. “They asked us to leave immediately and return to Israel. They offered to arrange flights, anything we wanted, just return. ”
Dana Kuchansky’ s father is also worried. Kuchansky, 28, and her partner were in Kofun, a small island hit hard by the tsunami. After a night spent on the top of the mountain in the center of the island, the two were taken for free to Bangkok, where they were expected to fly to Israel.
On the telephone, the worried father made sure his daughter received the replacement tickets lost in the tsunami 15 minutes later, he called her again, to remind her of the flight number.
Most of the Israelis visiting Thailand are young and on a limited budget. Their parents are used to having insufficient contact with their children. In most cases, this contact is when the phone call or the use of the Internet is cheap, even if the difference between "expensive" and "cheap" is less than 50 agorot, or cents.
In one case this past week, a mother called the mobile telephone of each of the six embassy（大使馆）staff in Thailand, one after the other. The same duty officer answered all six.
The common reaction of both parents and children, once telephone contact was made, was sobbing with relief that the ordeal（严峻考验）had left them unharmed. According to the text, Narkis and Oren________.
| A．called their friends to tell them what had happened |
| B．had great fun even if they knew the tsunami had come |
| C．knew nothing about the tsunami until their friends rang them up |
| D．turned out calm in face of the tsunami |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Kuchansky and her partner had their tickets missing in the tsunami. |
| B．All the parents mentioned are worried about their children’ s safety. |
| C．Most embassy staff were too busy in their work to answer mobile phone calls. |
| D．The parents of the young Israelis don’ t have enough time to contact their kids. |
The underlined word “insufficient” in Paragraph 6 probably means________.
| A．unsuitable | B．not enough | C．unnecessary | D．irregular |
It can be inferred that ________.
| A．50 agorot is too little an amount for the ordinary Israelis |
| B．as an official in charge, the mother made so many calls |
| C．the writer may come from Israel rather than from some other country |
| D．all the young couples traveling in Thailand remained safe and sound |
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