The University of Birmingham is the first excellent UK Russell Group university to announce that it will accept the "Gaokao" exam for high-flying Chinese students wishing to join its. undergraduate courses in 2019. High school students who complete the "National Higher Education Entrance Examination", or Gaokao, with top grades will be able to apply for direct entry onto Birmingham degree programmes without first completing a foundation year which is a routine for the freshman.
Gaokao is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school and, every year, each province in China sets the grades required to gain admission to its universities. It is usually held across China in early June. Students are tested in Chinese, Mathematics, a Foreign Language and social sciences or natural sciences.
University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood said: "The University of Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. We welcome people from around the globe to study at Birmingham and Chinese students form an integral part of our education and research community. We are further opening access to Birmingham's wealth of education opportunities for the brightest and most dedicated Chinese students by accepting this strict and important qualification. I look forward to welcoming these high-flying students to the University of Birmingham. "
Gaokao is increasingly accepted by universities in Australia, the USA, Canada and mainland Europe. Birmingham will only be considering high quality students who achieve a minimum 80% Gaokao score and meet additional academic and English language requirements.
Professor J on Frampton, Director of the University of Birmingham's China Institute said:"The University of Birmingham has a long history of educating students from China and one of our most famous graduates is Li Siguang-the founding father of Chinese geology. I am delighted that the University is now accepting the Gaokao. This gives the brightest and best Chinese students an opportunity to move straight into the first year of our undergraduate programmes and experience the benefits of studying at a global Top 100 university, such as Birmingham. "
1.What do Chinese students have to do to enter the University of Birmingham before 2019?
A. Go through a foundation year.
B. Prepare Birmingham degree programmes.
C. Acquire the right to permanent residency.
D. Score over 800% of the university's qualification examination.
2.Who is the announcement intended for?
A. The foreign students in China.
B. All people living in the UK.
C. The students of the UK.
D. Chinese students.
3.Which of the following best explains "integral" underlined in paragraph 3?
A. Complete.
B. Necessary.
C. Indifferent.
D. Unimportant.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The introduction to the "Gaokao" of China.
B. The history of the University of Birmingham.
C. The high quality students accepted by top universities.
D. The University of Birmingham's admission to Gaokao.
Ten minutes of gentle exercise can immediately change how certain parts of the brain communicate and coordinate (协调) with one another and improve memory function, according to an encouraging new study.
The scientists invited 36 people of different ages to the lab and had them sit quietly on a fixed bicycle for 10 minutes or, on a separate visit, pedal the bicycle at a pace so gentle that it barely raised their heart rates. It also was short, lasting for only 10 minutes. Immediately after each session of the sitting or slow pedaling, the people completed a computerized memory test during which they would see a brief picture of, for instance, a tree, followed by a variety of other images and then a new image of either the same tree or a similar one. The people would press buttons to show whether they thought each image was new or the same as an earlier shot. The test is difficult, since many of the images closely resemble one another. It requires rapid, skillful scanning recent memories to decide whether a picture is new or known. Next, the scientists had each people repeat this process--riding or sitting on the bike for 10 minutes and then completing memory testing--but the testing now took place inside an M. R. I. machine(磁共振成像仪)that scanned the people's brains while they responded to the images.
Then the researchers compared results. The effects of the exercise were clear. The people were better at remembering images after they had ridden the bike, especially when the images most closely resembled one another. In other words, the harder their memories had to do their best, the better they performed after the exercise. The M. R. I. scans showed that memory parts of each people's brain lit up at the same time with parts of the brain associated with learning, indicating that these physically separate parts of the brain were better connected now than when the people had not first exercised.
1.How did the researchers conduct the study?
A. By filling up questionnaires.
B. By interviewing many people.
C. By comparing experiment data.
D. By referring to historical reports.
2.Who might benefit most from the study result?
A. The marketers promoting fixed bicycles.
B. The young people crazy about body building.
C. The white collars doing long-term mental work.
D. The blue-collars doing heavy physical labor work.
3.Which of the following statements agrees with the study result?
A. The light exercise is only good for young people.
B. The more the exercise is, the better the brain works.
C. The exercise can coordinate different parts of the body.
D. The exercise has more positive effect when the brain works harder.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Even ten minutes' exercise may be good for the brain
B. There is no need for humans doing exercise every day
C. Only ten minutes' light exercise benefits the young most
D. Exercise can change people's brains and minds in a long time
As Simon Kindleysides, 34, took his first step in the London Marathon in April, he felt as if magic was in the air.
"As we were walking toward the first mile, we actually started joining all the runners," he said. "Everyone was on the streets, cheering, and that was a magical moment." As time went on, the crowds and other racers spread around. Kindleysides and his team of eight supporters continued walking.
Kindleysides, who is paralyzed(瘫痪的)from the waist down and typically uses a wheelchair, was equipped with an exoskeleton(体外骨骼)to help him walk. His supporters walked with him to change the batteries in his exoskeleton so he could keep moving.
In 2013, Kindleysides was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤) that was growing in a way that pressed on certain nerves, leading to him losing feeling in his legs. He was told he would never walk again. Before his paralysis, the London-based singer and dancer had "always wanted to run a marathon," he said, but he never made the plan to do so--until this year.
During the London Marathon, the last two miles were the hardest. "At that point, I was exhausted. It was freezing cold, and I was hurting emotionally," Kindleysides said. But he kept going. "I didn't want to let people down. I had a team of eight, and I was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity," he said. "I didn't want to let them down, myself down, and I thought if I would get this far, I would have to continue."So he continued and made history as the first paralyzed man to complete the London Marathon on foot.
Then, recovering at home, he shared his accomplishment with his three children. "They used to say I'm the only dad in their whole school who's in a wheelchair, and now they say I'm their dad, the only one who has walked a marathon," he said.
Kindleysides is training to complete three more marathons next year, including the London Marathon again.
1.Why did Kindleysides' supporters accompany him all the way?
A. To inspire him as a team.
B. To help change the batteries.
C. To guide him along the road.
D. To assist him with the wheelchair.
2.What caused Kindleysides' disability?
A. An accident in the previous marathon.
B. An operation on his brain for the tumor.
C. Some nerves produced out of the tumor.
D. The pressure from the brain tumor on the nerves.
3.What partly supported Kindleysides to finish the hardest two-mile race?
A. The belief to beat others.
B. The strong desire to recover.
C. The kindness to help the charity.
D. The prize money for the winner.
4.What can we learn about Kindleysides?
A. He was once a successful actor.
B. His children feel a pity for him in the wheelchair now.
C. He is ambitious for joining in London marathons once more.
D. He was the first disabled-man to complete the London Marathon.
Christmas is a time for eating great food, giving and receiving presents, and most importantly spending time with your family watching some classic Christmas movies.
The Grinch (2000)
This is a Christmas must-watch and one of Jim Carrey's best performances. It was also originally a nursery tale book written by Dr Seuss. It's the story of a green monster who wants to ruin Christmas but who in the end discovers the power of love and generosity. I promise it's a great film with plenty of laughs along the way.
Love Actually (2003)
While this is not a personal favourite of mine, people in the UK absolutely love this film. It has many featuring actors and actresses. It might be a little difficult to follow as there are complex plots, so I recommend watching a translated version or enabling subtitles (字幕) in your native language. However, the heart-warming elements of the film make it worth watching.
Home Alone (1990)
This amusing masterwork is one of my favourite films of all time. It tells the story of a boy, Kevin, who is left alone in his house when his large family forgets to take him on vacation with them. While the families are away, burglars try to rob the house and Kevin must protect his home by setting traps. The trips, falls and traps will have you laughing out loud as you watch a 10-year-old boy beat two grown men.
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
You can't have Christmas in an English-speaking country without watching this movie. It's not funny like Home Alone or The Grinch, but it is incredibly touching. It's about a man who claims to be Santa, but nobody believes him except a lawyer and a little girl. The story-line may seem a little childish but you can enjoy it at any age.
1.Which film is adapted from a fairy tale?
A. The Grinch.
B. Home Alone.
C. Love Actually.
D. Miracle on 34th Street.
2.What is Home Alone mainly about?
A. An unsuccessful family vacation.
B. A boy protecting home by himself.
C. A terrible suffering to a little boy.
D. A 10-year-old boy's practical jokes.
3.Why is Miracle on 34th Street so popular?
A. Owing to its moving plots.
B. Because of its funny story.
C. Due to its childish storyline.
D. For its famous actors and actresses.
近年来，习近平总书记在国内外不同场合，不止一次讲述过他的读书故事，也每每在演讲中引经据典、信手拈来，让听者叹服。习总书记对读书的热爱掀起一股全民读书热潮。我校决定也借此机会鼓励同学们开展读书周(Reading Week)活动。假如你是我校学生会主席李华，为配合学校的这次活动，你打算倡议同学们多读书，读好书。根据以下提示给同学们写封倡议信。
1. 读书周活动的目的； 2. 读书的好处； 3. 你的建议。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加内容，以使行文连贯。
Dear friends，
I'm Li Hua, president of the Students' Union.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Every high school student want to get into famous universities and they spend most of their time review lessons. Nowadays, many graduates find it hard to be admitted to famous universities. To be honest, only the small number of students can get such golden chances. I have a strong desire to enter for Beijing University to study. To make your dream come true, I have to know my advantage and disadvantages. However, I must work hard or put all my time and energy into study. Most important, I must arrange my time properly. I was approaching my dream university with every effort.
