Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All this hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(填鸭式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self-study a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut-throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the l970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.
1.The students spend the least time in school in .
A．the UK B．Finland C．the USA D．Korea
2.According to the text, we think in Korea .
A．students spend more time in studying
B．students are tired of studying in class
C．students leave their school early
D．students are always top scorers
3.The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragragh 2 probably refers to .
A．private evening tutoring B．self-study at home
C．long-hour study D．school study
4.From Paragragh 3, we can know that .
A．Finnish students are less stressed in study
B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain
C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia
D．British schools are less competitive than universities
5.According to the author, the key to improving education is .
A．the attitude B．the schooling time
C．star pupils D．new teaching approach
Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Despite many setbacks Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my immense frustration(沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !
1.Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?
A．Her friend Sean. B．Her mother. C．Her daughter. D．Her husband.
2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter .
A．at the age of 6 B．on a train journey
C．after her mother's death D．in her secondary school
3.She felt frustrated on the train because .
A．her train was delayed for four hours
B．she didn't have a pen with her
C．her mind suddenly went blank
D．no one would offer her help
4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is .
A．open-minded B．warm-hearted C．good-natured D．strong-willed
5.The text mainly tells us .
A．hardship makes a good novelist
B．the courage to try is a special ability
C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere
D．encouragement contributes to one's success
Anyone who has ever lost keys or money will have wished for a simple but effective way to make sure it never happens again. A US company is trying to help.
Using a tiny microchip which is implanted into the arm, they have come up with a replacement for cash or credit cards that cannot be left at home or dropped on the bus.
The Verichip is about the size of a grain of rice and works using radio frequency identification technology. At a shop, a radio frequency “reader” would send a signal and the chip in your arm would respond with your unique identity number. That would give the “reader” your financial information, and money could be taken directly from your accounts and you wouldn't even have to reach for your wallet.
The company also hopes to include other information on the chip, such as medical records, building security codes(密码) and passwords, making life even easier.
But not everyone is happy with the developments. Critics say that a lot can go wrong with the chip. A clever thief could build a fake(假的) reader that would steal your information without you knowing. So your money could still be stolen. Privacy is a big issue too. Stores, or even the government, only need to track the chip to find out what you buy, how much you spend and where you go.
And if you wanted to get rid of your chip,you would need an operation to remove it.
1.The Verichip is .
A．the identity number B．the security code
C．a tiny microchip D．a radio reader
2.Paragraph 3 is mainly about .
A．how the Verichip works
B．the importance of the Verichip
C．the development of the Verichip
D．how money is taken from your accounts
3.Which is true of the Verichip?
A．Your information on it will always be safe.
B．Medical records have already been included.
C．You can easily reach for your wallet using it.
D．An operation has to be performed to remove it.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A．All people are satisfied with the chip.
B．The Verichip company has financial problems.
C．The chip needs improving to be widely accepted.
D．Many people have the experience of losing keys or money.
5.The author's purpose of writing the text is most likely to .
A．warn B．advertise C．compare D．introduce
A few weeks ago, our dog, which we had kept for more than ten years, had to be put down. First, a tumor on her stomach got worse, and she was very 36 . Then, the pain in her back got so bad that sometimes she 37 lie down in the middle of a walk and couldn't take another 38 .
When I first found out, l was very sad and cried a lot. She was more like a sister to me than a 39 .But I was also angry at my stepfather,Steve,who told us the 40 a week after it happened. He 41 because he didn' t want to worry us, and he didn't want me to get depressed(抑郁的) and fail my exams. I just thought she was 42 at the animals' hospital.
I think you know all the 43 that went through my head: She was my dog！Why didn't he tell us earlier? I didn't even get to say goodbye.
People in my family have a 44 of keeping things from me to protect me, such as only telling me that my aunt had cancer 45 she had already improved health. All I could think was: Not again !
I 46 to my mum, and she said， “I know. I'm 47 , too.” I opened my mouth to shout. And then she added, “I'm so angry with Steve that he had to 48 through all this on his own.”Hearing my mum's words, I shut up my mouth. I had been so 49 on myself. I hadn't thought about 50 Steve was going through. That dog was his baby. He'd had her for longer than he'd had us—and he had to make the decision to 51 her life, and then kept in silence for an entire 52 . All my anger melted away, and all I felt was 53 .
It makes me realize that we focus so much on ourselves that we 54 the pain of others. At that moment, my mum's words were an incredible 55 that I'll never forget.
1. A．lazy B．lonely C．painful D．shameful
2. A．would B．should C．might D．could
3. A．walk B．step C．foot D．breath
4. A．tool B．toy C．baby D．pet
5. A．plan B．accident C．anecdote D．truth
6. A．lied B．waited C．reflected D．hesitated
7. A．still B．once C．even D．never
8. A．facts B．opinions C．thoughts D．doubts
9. A．story B．secret C．habit D．hobby
10. A．until B．before C．while D．after
11. A．adjusted B．turned C．contributed D．related
12. A．angry B．shocked C．guilty D．abused
13. A．break B．go C．look D．push
14. A．focused B．hooked C．dependent D．hard
15. A．that B．where C．what D．which
16. A．save B．expand C．make D．end
17. A．year B．month C．week D．day
18. A．regret B．blame C．sorrow D．sympathy
19. A．shared B．ignored C．reminded D．rid
20. A．comfort B．compromise C．gift D．suggestion
—Skipping breakfast is a great way to lose weight.
— . Actually it has the opposite effect.
A．I cannot agree more B．That's not the case
C．That's for sure D．I'm glad to know that
This is a kind of traditional classroom teaching students are taught a lot about grammar rules.
A．where B．which C．what D．when
