Some American high schools are for students with special interests, like science or the arts. New York City even has a program for those interested in the food service industry, called Food and Finance High School.
New York also has what are called international high schools, or internationals, for immigrant students. They must be new learners of English who have been in the United States less than four years. The first school opened in nineteen eighty-five. The city will begin the new term next month with ten.
New York works with a nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools. Support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped the network expand. The network says the graduation rate was seventy percent last year in the four New York schools open long enough to have graduating classes. That, compared with twenty-three percent for English language learners in all of the city schools.
Over all, New York officials recently reported that the city’s four-year graduation rate, reached fifty-two percent last year. At the same time, they reported that the city’s dropout rate fell below fifteen percent. The Internationals Network says its schools have an average dropout rate of just five percent.
Claire Sylvan is the executive director of the group. She says students drop out mainly because their families need them to work or because parents arrange marriages for girls.
The Internationals Network mainly helps find teachers and trains them in the teaching method of the internationals. Claire Sylvan says the teaching approach is to have students use their different strengths to help each other. They work in small groups, but she says they are not grouped by ability. She says the students discuss issues, then produce a product like a paper, a play, a poster or a report. They learn English as they work.
The international high school in New York is __________
| A．for immigrant students with special interests |
| B．for new immigrant students who have been living in New York less than four years |
| C．for new learners of foreign language from around the world |
| D．for new young learners of English language living in the US less than four years |
The international high schools in New York _______
| A．have been opened for less than 20 years and set a good example |
| B．can bring great profit for the Internationals Network for Public Schools |
| C．will expand from having one school to having ten |
| D．have given great support to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Which of the following shows the graduation rate of the schools of the International Networks last year in the four New York schools?
Graduation rate
Dropout and other
A B C D
One of the reasons why some students drop out of school is that _____.
| A．their parents can’t afford to pay for the education |
| B．they have to help their parents with the work |
| C．girls are forced to make money for their families |
| D．they have trouble in passing all kinds of exams |
Claire Sylvan would agree with all the following statements EXCEPT _____.
| A．with the help of the network, the students can find right teachers. |
| B．students use their different strengths to help each other |
| C．students can be divided into different classes according to their ability |
| D．students can discuss with each other and finish their work by themselves |
September is an exciting month in every college freshman’s life. For many, it’s the first time that they’ve left home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion— homesickness.
Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum’s cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.
But remember, you’re not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.
Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn’t invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers’ mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos” from Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos”.
Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it’s necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling. From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that __________.
| A．homesickness means a fond memory of the past |
| B．only a few students will experience homesickness |
| C．homesickness is an enjoyable emotion among freshmen |
| D．college freshmen usually suffer from homesickness after weeks |
According to the passage, we can know that _________.
| A．homesickness may cause mental diseases |
| B．homesickness is a feeling only shared by adults |
| C．homesickness won’t do any good to our health |
| D．homesickness is also called nostalgia in Switzerland |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．some benefits about homesickness |
| B．other problems in college freshmen’s life |
| C．how to make campus life more meaningful |
| D．some tips on how to cope with homesickness |
The attitude of Sedikides towards homesickness is _________.
| A．negative | B．supportive | C．skeptical | D．critical |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Let’s embrace homesickness |
| B．How to fit into the college life |
| C．A harmful emotion—homesickness |
| D．The disadvantages of homesickness |
Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice. As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.
Cai, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Huan Railway Professional Technology College, originally planned to cycle from Sichuan to Tibet. During his journey, Cai’s idea for a different graduation gift to himself began to take shape. “I did not know beforehand what the journey would mean to me. I just want to gain a unique experience and have pleasure in appreciating the view there,” he said.
It turned out cycling on a plateau was extremely challenging. And it has kept changing his outlook on life. Cai’s fingers even became frostbitten while cycling up a 5008-meter-high mountain, where temperatures often dropped to 18 below zero. At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak. “At the most serious moment, I felt that my life was on the line,” said Cai.
However, he also gained something unexpected. At Ya’an, a city in Sichuan, he met a group of tourists who are also university students. A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak.
It was not until he reached a family-run hotel in Shigatse that Cai’s spirits began to rise. The hotel manager’s two daughters enjoyed talking with him. The kids asked about his experiences on his trip, and showed him the beautiful local lakes. “They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,” he said, “Their parents and many locals can only speak Tibetan.”
Cai was touched by the girls’ story. Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers. “I want to do something to improve the situation for kids like them,” said Cai. His parents finally gave their agreement and his teachers also supported him.According to the passage, Cai Kaiyuan’s graduation gift to himself is _________.
| A．to have money for a deposit on a house |
| B．to travel by cycling from Sichuan to Tibet |
| C．to own a new car and marry a slender girl |
| D．to work as a volunteer teacher in Tibetan school |
What words can be used to describe Cai’s journey to Tibet?
| A．unique and pleasant | B．challenging but rewarding |
| C．relaxing but unexpected | D．freezing cold and boring |
The underlined phrase “on the line” in the third paragraph means “ ____________”.
| A．in a dilemma | B．making a phone call |
| C．at risk | D．very painful |
The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.
| A．tell us about an unusual graduation gift |
| B．introduce a dangerous journey to us |
| C．give advice on how to travel to Tibet |
| D．encourage us to be a teacher in Tibet |
Which of the followings is NOT the reason for Cai to make his decision?
| A．He met Wu Ling and was impressed by her plan. |
| B．His parents and teachers persuaded him to go to Tibet. |
| C．He was moved by the kid’s desire to improve their Mandarin. |
| D．A lack of teachers makes the local people have little chance to learn. |
A recent study suggests that teens’ relationship with parents, friends and teachers may have a lot to do with why they don’t get a good night’s sleep.
David Maume, a sociologist and sleep researcher, analyzed federal health data, which interviewed 974 teenagers when they were 12, and then again at 15. He found that family dynamics (动态) have much to do with how well kids sleep. Teens, who had warm relations with their parents and felt like they could talk to them or their parents were supportive of them, tended to sleep better. However, families that were going through a divorce or a remarriage tended to affect teens’ sleep.
And problems at school also affected teens’ sleep. Feeling safe at school and having good relations with teachers tended to promote better sleep. As did good relationships with friends. Kids who took part in sports or other positive social activities or shared similar academic goals with their friends were also more likely to get a good night’s sleep.
These add up to what makes lots of sense: a general feeling of well-being helps teens sleep. If we’re happy and contented, we’re much more likely to sleep better than if we’re sad and anxious.
Now, of course, teens can hardly resist being drawn to their computers and social networking. Maume also found that when parents were strict not only about bedtime, but also about limiting technology, kids slept better. It’s a finding that seems obvious, but parents really do matter when it comes to health habits of their teenagers.
Clearly, teenagers aren’t getting 9 to 10 hours a night, which puts them at risk for all the consequences of lack of sleep, including poor academic performance, colds and stress. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Teens’ sleep is linked to their relationship with people around them. |
| B．Lack of adequate sleep puts teens at risk of many bad consequences. |
| C．Modern technology has something to do with teens’ sleep problems. |
| D．It is necessary for teens to join in sports and positive social activities. |
According to Maume’s analysis, who will probably have a poor night’s sleep?
| A．Teens who feel like talking with their parents. |
| B．Teens who have friends sharing their dreams. |
| C．Teens who feel contented about themselves. |
| D．Teens who lack a sense of security at school. |
Para 5 functions as .
| A．a comparison | B．an introduction | C．a conclusion | D．an addition |
Parents are supposed to when their kids are growing up.
| A．continue their broken marriage | B．allow children to decide when to sleep |
| C．limit teens’ using new technology | D．force teens to have 10 hours’ sleep daily |
“iPhone 5”, the tallest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone
We don’t want to change your phone, we want to make you say, “Wow, that is a bigger change than I expected”. “iPhone 5” is a result of that desire to surprise.
It’s been completely redesigned. For the first time ever, we’ve increased the size of display (显示) by making the screen taller but not wider.
You can see more of your content without the need to scroll. We are making scrolling the thing of the past. It is more comfortable to use and reduces tiredness from scrolling when you read long documents.
Even with the larger display, it is the thinnest iPhone we ever built. To achieve the design this tall, we have to look at it and completely redesign the architecture inside. It’s 18% thinner and 79.5% taller than the previous iPhone. It makes everything you do on “iPhone5” easier. No more hidden menus, no confusing gestures. Everything is right at your fingertips.
The panorama feature (全景拍照) is simply awesome. The ultra HD (超高清) widescreen display lets you get your entire shot in a single snap (快门). You can also use its creative design for picture stabilization.
With an iPhone this tall, reception of signals has never been better. And of course, all your favorite applications are still available. In fact you will find your old favorites also benefit from the new experiencing handsome ultra HD widescreen. We found while many previous iPhone owners were using Facetime, they only used it for the faces. That’s why we are introducing Bodytime. With its ultra HD widescreen display, Bodytime lets you see a person’s entire body.
It took all of our learning and all of our thinking to realize something so simple, so clear, and yet so tall.
And I wish your pocket were tall enough to hold such a perfect invention!How is the screen of “iPhone 5” different from the previous ones?
| A．Wider. | B．Taller. | C．Easier. | D．Thinner. |
What does the underlined word “scroll” probably mean?
| A．Update the webpage. | B．Download new documents. |
| C．Refresh the content. | D．Move the content upward. |
What can we infer about “iPhone 5” from the passage?
| A．It is really necessary for you to hide menus. |
| B．The reception of signals is bad due to its length. |
| C．Bodytime is popular with previous iPhone owners. |
| D．New applications of “iPhone 5” are unbelievable. |
“iPhone 5” is introduced in a(n) ________ way in this passage.
| A．humorous | B．objective | C．scientific | D．serious |
Xinhua News Agency－The International Conference on Power Engineering (ICOPE) 2013, organized by the Chinese Society of Power Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, opened in Wuhan, on Oct 24. More than 300 energy experts, scholars and businessmen from countries and areas including the United States, Japan, the EU, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria, Arab and China are attending the three-day academic conference on the world’s energy problems.
Professor Zheng Chuguang, from the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, gave a speech on the development of oxygen fuel technology in China, and said that settling the problem of cost ranks highest.
George Saxon, vice-president of Conco Systems Inc, US, presented a report on the topic of Energy Engineer to Shape the Future. He said that the company’s research and innovation (创新) are of great significance for the future and already contribute to reducing costs and improving efficiency (效率).
Professor Didier Mayer from the Ecole des Mines de Paris, France, spoke about “Wind Energy R&D Line Based on the Global Renewable Energy Status”, and Professor Yasuo Koizumi of Shinshu University in Japan and Li Chun-Zhu of Curtin University of Technology in Australia also gave speeches at the conference.
The academic meetings are expected to cover topics from various fields. In addition, the participants will discuss the most advanced academic research around the world, the latest progress and development trends in the various fields. The conference has attracted 232 academic papers, with 176 papers from China, and 56 from abroad.Who probably attended the meeting?
| A．Students from high schools. | B．Scholars from Canada. |
| C．Officials from governments. | D．Experts from companies. |
According to Professor Zheng, what matters most about energy problems?
| A．Reducing cost. | B．Using wind energy. |
| C．Saving energy. | D．Developing new fuels. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．300 participants are attending the two-day academic conference. |
| B．George Saxon supports the company’s research and innovation. |
| C．Didier Mayer gave a speech on oxygen fuel technology in China. |
| D．The conference has attracted 232 academic papers from abroad. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To discuss the world energy problems. |
| B．To introduce to readers some energy experts. |
| C．To introduce an international energy conference. |
| D．To show the world’s great concern about environment. |
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