In nineteen ninety-nine, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, estimates were almost double that.

A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.

Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.

Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.

Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.

She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.

In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.

Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since nineteen ninety-eight. He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms.

Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.

52. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the US.

B. Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.

C. Researchers in the US argue for school uniform policies.

D. Evidence for school uniform policies in the US is seen as weak.

53. Which was/were the first in the US to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools?

A. Six big-city Ohio public schools.

B. The school district in Long Beach, California.

C. Some middle and high schools in Texas.

D. Some elementary and middle schools in Florida.

54. Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?

A. Viktoria Stamison and Sharon Pate.  

B. Sharon Pate and David Brunsma.

C. Eloise Hughes and Sharon Pate.  

D. Viktoria Stamison and David Brunsma.

55. The underlined word “misbehavior” in the sixth paragraph probably means ______.

A. serious crime            B. bad performance

C. absence for class       D. action against wearing uniforms

56. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. more work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect

B. the number of schools requiring uniforms in the US will decline sharply

C. wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning

D. politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies

第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分 40分）

第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ------ paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.

A “paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.

Students don’t do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.

Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying from math to social science.

High school teacher Judy Harrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan (阿富汗) before.

“We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps (难民营)”, she said. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”

And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.

A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.

“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computer,” she said.

But, with all this technology, there’s always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.

46. What does “run out of ink at the critical moment” in the first paragraph mean?

A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

D. Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.

47. The high school teacher, Judy Harrell, used the example of her class to show that ______.

A. the Web could take them everywhere

B. the Web taught them a lot

C. the Web is a good tool for information

D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

48. The paperless classrooms will benefit ______ most.

A. students            B. teachers             C. trees     D. computers 

第四节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入

对应空白处的最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

David grew up poor. He started   26   in the 7th grade and by high school he was only going to school half days, leaving at 11 am to go to work.

Lack of money meant lack of   27   opportunities, but he had a   28   for knowledge. In his   29   time he read books on human development, vocabulary builders,   30   that he thought would help him succeed   31   down the road.

He was a hard worker and rose above his lack of higher education to produce decently for his family,   32   the factory life was taking it toll (造成伤害) on him   33   , emotionally, and spiritually. It was, in his mind,   34   him like a slow poison.

In 1995 he bought his first computer and a few months later discovered the Internet. He wanted to be a part of it, and worked 48 or more hours in the   35   and worked   36   40 or more hours a week teaching   37   computer skills. He worked harder than he   38  had in his life, logging over 100 hours a week on many, many  39  .

David began applying for jobs in the Internet and computer fields. He was shot down many times, but he never   40   . he had a goal and kept after it even when he didn’t feel like it because anything else seemed so   41   . That kind of drive and perseverance (坚持不懈) almost always pays off.

I’m   42   to say David left the factory and took a job in the computer field. He beat out college-educated applicants with 4-year degrees with his   43   skills.

This is a true story about   44  . It’s a story about believing yourself. It’s a story about finding what you love to do and following your   45  .     

 Three days after Mrs White’s _______ necklace was found, she was _____ it.

Li Ming is said ______ the experiment in the lab, but I can’t find him there.

They live in a beautiful village, with many trees and flowers _______ it.

– I rang you at about ten o’clock, but there was no reply.

– Oh, that was probably ________ I was seeing the doctor.

The situation is more _________ than ever. I’m _______about what to do next.

– Can you tell me ___________?           

– An engineer from Jinan Iron and Steel Plants.

It is requested that each of the teachers invited ______ a performance at the. party.