The “teacherfree exam” means that students take their exams ________ teachers. Students must be more honest.
A.without B.against
C.through D.away
Bob Christiansen, who studied the volcanic history of Yellowstone National Park in the 1960s, became puzzled about something that, oddly, had not troubled anyone before: he couldn’t find the park’s volcano. It had been known for a long time that Yellowstone was volcanic in nature—that’s the reason for all its hot springs and other steamy features. But Christiansen couldn’t find the Yellowstone volcano anywhere.
Most of us, when we talk about volcanoes, think of the classic cone (圆锥体) shapes of a Fuji or Kilimanjaro,which are created when erupting magma(岩浆) piles up. These can form remarkably quickly. In 1943, a Mexican farmer was surprised to see smoke rising from a small part of his land. In one week he was the confused owner of a cone five hundred feet high. Within two years it had topped out at almost fourteen hundred feet and was more than half a mile across. Altogether there are some ten thousand of these volcanoes on Earth, all but a few hundred of them extinct. There is, however, a second less known type of volcano that doesn’t involve mountain building. These are volcanoes so explosive that they burst open in a single big crack, leaving behind a vast hole, the caldera(火山喷口). Yellowstone obviously was of this second type, but Christiansen couldn’t find the caldera anywhere.
Just at this time NASA decided to test some new high-altitude cameras by taking photographs of Yellowstone. A thoughtful official passed on some of the copies to the park authorities and said that they might make a nice blow-up for one of the visitors’centers. As soon as Christiansen saw the photos, he realized why he had failed to spot the caldera: almost the whole park-2.2 million acres—was caldera. The explosion had left a hole more than forty miles across—much too huge to be seen from anywhere at ground level. At some time in the past Yellowstone must have blown up with a violence far beyond the scale of anything known to humans.
1.What puzzled Christiansen when he was studying Yellowstone？
2.Is Fuji or Kilimanjaro created when erupting magma piles up?
3.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about？
4.When did Christiansen realize why he had failed to spot the caldera?
5.What was the caldera of Yellowstone?
Who cares if people think wrongly that the Internet has had more important influences than the washing machines?
Why does it matter that people are more impressed by the most recent changes?
It would not matter if these misjudgments were just a matter of people’s opinions. However, they have real impacts, as they result in misguided use of scarce（稀缺的） resources.
The fascination with the ICT(Information and Communication Technology) revolution, represented by the Internet, has made some rich countries wrongly conclude that making things is so ―yesterday that they should try to live on ideas. This belief in post-industrial society has led those countries to neglect（忽略） their manufacturing sector(制造业) with negative consequences for their economies.
Even more worryingly, the fascination with the Internet by people in rich countries has moved the international community to worry about the digital divide between the rich countries and the poor countries. This has led companies and individuals to donate money to developing countries to buy computer equipment and Internet facilities. The question, however, is whether this is what the developing countries need the most. Perhaps giving money for those less fashionable things such as digging wells, extending electricity networks and making more affordable washing machines would have improved people’s lives more than giving every child a laptop computer or setting up Internet centres in rural villages, I amnot saying that those things are necessarily more important, but many donators have rushed into fancy programmes without carefully assessing the relative long-term costs and benefits of alternative（别的，可替代的） uses of their money.
In yet another example, a fascination with the new has led people to believe that the recent changes in the technologies of communications and transportation are so revolutionary（革命的） that now we live in a borderless world. As a result, in the last twenty years or so, many people have come to believe that whatever change is happening today is the result of great technological progress, going against which will be like trying to turn the clock back. Believing in such a world, many governments have put an end to some of the very necessary regulations on cross-border flows of capital, labour and goods, with poor results.
Understanding technological trends is very important for correctly designing economic policies, both at the national and the international levels, and for making the right career choices at the individual level. However, our fascination with the latest, and our under valuation of what has already become common, can, and has, led us in all sorts of wrong directions.
1.Misjudgments on the influences of new technology can lead to .
A.a lack of confidence in technology B.a slow progress in technology
C.a conflict of public opinions D.a waste of limited resources
2.The example in Paragraph 4 suggests that donators should .
A.take people's essential needs into considerations B.make their programmes attractive to people
C.ensure that each child gets financial support D.provide more affordable internet facilities
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.People should be encouraged to make more donations. B.Traditional technology still has a place nowadays.
C.Making right career choices is crucial to personal success. D.Economic policies should follow technological trends.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.The influences of ICT B.The trends of technology
C.The fascination with ICT D.The use of ICT
Dear Madam,
Welcome back to school. My child is so happy to be in your class this year. We know you care so much about your students. I want to tell you a little bit about my child. Although he really loves to learn, he is somewhat anxious about being back in school again.
My child is thought to be gifted and that has brought some unexpected challenges to him and our family. To many people, being gifted means he will do very well in school, but that hasn’t always been true for him. He is just a kid thinking differently, and he sometimes struggles in school. Last year, school wasn’t easy for him for a few reasons.
He may be ahead a few grade levels in some subjects, but not in all subjects. He just doesn’t do better in all areas all the time. And although he may seem older than his years, he doesn’t always behave like you would think he should. I’m sure you know how gifted children can be emotionally immature –that is exactly my kid.
Also, he can be really intense in class when you are teaching one of his favorite topics. He may raise his hand often and constantly talk about what he thinks about it. I’ll apologize in advance because he will also likely challenge you on information or facts which he feels are not quite right especially when it’s a topic he is hooked on. He is not being impolite and he isn’t just being a know-it-all, or a show-off, he is really just very excited to be learning about a subject he feels strong about. He just gets carried away!
Last year, he was teased about looking like a know-it-all in school by some of his classmates, which hurts him A LOT. Being laughed at is part of his fear of going back to school. He fears being called a show-off at school and he feels like he doesn’t fit in. His teacher said he often kept to himself and chose to work alone. I know as a teacher, you are incredibly busy, but could you keep an eye out for anyone teasing him or if he seems to be keeping to himself too much?
Lastly, his therapist（理疗师） mentioned that because of the being laughed at and maybe because he was bored last
year in school, he is showing signs of becoming an underachiever. Please let me know if his grades start slipping.
Thank you for taking the time to read and understand about my child. Don’t hesitate to call or email me if there are any problems with him at school. Believe me, we know very well how sensitive, emotional and intense he can be.
I hope you have a wonderful school year!
Sincerely,
Mom of a Gifted Child
1.From the passage, we learn that the author’s son________.
A.fails to get along well with classmates B.has fallen behind the other students
C.has lost interest in learning D.is rude to the teachers
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.He has been taken away from school. B.He is too excited to control himself.
C.He is so absorbed in observing. D.He has been overpraised.
3.Why does the author write the letter?
A.To ask the teacher to reduce children’s burden. B.To call on the school to stop school teasing.
C.To suggest that his child has special needs. D.To explain how gifted her child is.
Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had worked hard on, hoping to hide myself. ―What could be causing everyone to act this way?
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this man, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts(花生）, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads（正面）—the commander, and tails（反面）—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before the unfriendly class, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, ―My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution. The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Therefore, I devoted myself fully into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance came as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1.What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
A.scary. B.foolish.
C.boring. D.puzzling.
2.Why was the author confused about the task?
A.He was unfamiliar with American history. B.He followed the advice and flipped a coin.
C.He forgot his teacher’s instruction. D.He was new at the school.
3.In the end, the author turned things around .
A.by redoing his task B.through his own efforts
C.with the help of his grandfather D.under the guidance of his headmaster
CHRONOLOGICA
DID YOU KNOW…
The Unbelievable Years that Defined History
In 105 AD paper was invented in China?
When Columbus discovered the New World?
The British Museum opened in 1759?
CHRONOLOGICA is a fascinating journey through time, from the foundation (建立) of Rome to the creation of the Internet. Along the way are tales of kings and queens, hot air balloons… and monkeys in space.
Travel through 100 of the most unbelievable years in world history and learn why being a Rome Emperor wasn’t always as good as it sounds, how the Hundred Years’ War didn’t actually last for 100 years and why Spencer Perceval holds a rather unfortunate record.
CHRONOLOGICA is an informative and exciting tour into history, beautifully illustrated (加插 图) and full of unbelievable facts. While CHRONOLOGICA tells the stories of famous people in history such as Thomas Edison and Alexander the Great, this book also gives an account of the lives of lesser-known individuals including the explorer Mungo Park and sculpture Gutzon Borglum.
This complete but brief historical collection is certain to entertain readers young and old, and guaranteed to present even the biggest history lover with something new!
1.What is CHRONOLOGICA according to the text?
A.A novel. B.A travel guide. C.A history book. D.A science fiction.
2.What can’t you find in CHRONOLOGICA?
A.Columbus discovered the New World. B.Paper was invented in China in 105 BC
C.The British Museum opened in 1759. D.Stories of Roman Emperors.
3.What makes CHRONOLOGICA interesting?
A.Stories B.Pictures C.Tales D.All of the above
