Poorer children would be offered the chance to attend lessons on Saturday to help catch up with their middle class peers (同龄人), the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today. The Conservatives would give English state schools the freedom to choose to have longer teaching hours and extra classes at the weekend, he told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ annual conference.
Gove said the move would help to close the achievement gap with richer children whose parents could afford extras such as tutoring and music lessons.
He told delegates (代表) in Manchester: “For children who come from homes where parents don’t have the resources to provide additional stretch and cultural experiences, there are benefits in having those children in the learning environment, in school, for longer.”
“Parents would love to have schools starting earlier in some circumstances, and certainly going on later in the afternoon, given the reality of their working lives,” he said. He held up the example of Kipp (Knowledge is Power Program) schools in the US, which are often based in the poorest communities and open from 7:30 am to 5pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays.
But it would be up to schools to decide to offer longer hours, Gove added.
Parents said Saturday classes could become a “badge of dishonor” if pupils were forced to go, while teachers raised concerns about their workload.
Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, said: “I think the suggestion the government made about one-to-one teaching for these kids would be a more preferable way of improving these children’s performance. I’m just not sure whether taking away a child at weekends is actually going to make them cleverer in the week.”
The ATL’s general secretary, Mary Bousted, said: “If we want Saturday schools, then we need more teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer.”
51. The program is intended for children____________.
A. who are from middle-class families
B. whose parents can’t afford extra help
C. who perform poorly academically
D. whose weekends are mostly unoccupied
52. “Additional stretch” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to_________.
A. music lessons
B. physical relaxation
C. entertainment activities
D. out-of-school improvement
53. Why did Gove mention Kipp schools in the US?
A. To make a comparison.
B. To introduce a new program.
C. To seek supportive evidence.
D. To prove his program is better.
54. What is Margaret Morrissey’s opinion about the new program?
A. Favorable. B. Doubtful. C. Optimistic. D. Acceptable.
55. Which of the following is true?
A. Teachers may not like the program. B. Schools are trying to make profits.
C. The program is already under way. D. The program is popular with children.
Across the United States, there are several places where two independent towns grew together to become one city ---- but kept both their names.
Winston-Salem is one of them. It’s a mid-sized city in what’s called the plateau(high land), between the Atlantic Coast and the inland mountains in the state of North Carolina. The Winston part is a relatively new place, founded early this century. It’s home to the nation’s biggest open-air tobacco market.
The giant R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s headquarters is in Winston-Salem, and Winston is the name of one of Reynolds’ best-known cigarette brands. Fast-growing Winston soon surrounded the much older town of Salem, so in 1913, people in the area voted to combine them into a single place.
From a historical and tourist point of view, Salem, or Old Salem, as it’s called today, is the interesting and unusual part of town.
Salem was founded in the 1700s by the Moravians. They spoke German, and their community was religiously based, with single men and single women living apart in separate dormitories. The Moravians greatly valued women’s work and brainpower. In fact, one of the nation’s oldest boarding schools for young women— the Moravians’ Salem Academy founded in 1772 — is still in operation.
Over the years, Salem lost its Moravian character. That all changed, though, when a nonprofit group began to rehabilitate the historic area. These days Old Salem is what’s called a living history museum, with exhibits, music, and tours of 18th-century houses, taverns and Moravian dormitory buildings just seven blocks from the tallest skyscraper in Winston-Salem.
The historic community is booming again. Just as R. J. Reynolds is taking in millions of dollars making cigarettes across town, Old Salem is generating about $ 115 million a year in tourism revenue and donations.
46. From the passage we can know that____________.
A. Winston-Salem is the name of a city
B. Salem is home to the tobacco market
C. the city Winston-Salem has two names
D. Old Salem is the name of a tobacco brand
47. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that__________.
A. the two cities benefited each other
B. Salem developed faster than Winston
C. R.J. Reynolds Company has moved into Salem
D. the combination meets the wishes of the people
48. The city Salem is special for its__________.
A. boarding school B. lifestyle and tradition
C. respect for brainpower D. religious belief
49. The underlined word “rehabilitate” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to “_______”.
A. reconstruct B. evaluate C. enlarge D. decorate
50. What will probably be talked about in the following part?
A. Some other attractions in Winston-Salem.
B. How Winston makes profits from tourism.
C. Other examples of cities combined by two parts.
D. Something about the boarding school for women.
“BANG” the door caused a reverberation.“Never set foot in this house again!” shouted Father.With tears welling (涌出) up in my eyes,I rushed out of the house and ran along the street.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me.I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space:happy and harmonious.
But now I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because Dad is getting old.We are just like two people coming from two different worlds.It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the street,without a destination in my mind.My heart was frozen on this hot summer night.As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people in the streets,until I had only streets to keep me company. When I finally reached the high rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself,“Is Father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact,it was nothing.Perhaps,Dad was throwing some of his old stamps.Perhaps he thought they were useless.I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.
All the lights were off except Father’s.
Dad was always 1ike this.Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself.After shouting at me,he never showed any mercy or regret. After an argument he will creep(蹑手蹑脚)up in my sleep and then tuck me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was.He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. With the key in hand,I was as nervous as I had ever been.At last,I decided to open the door.As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks.I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love-it is second to none.
41. The underlined word “reverberation” refers to _____________.
A.a sound forced back B.a heavy blow C.a shake D. an earthquake
42. When seeing a young father with a child in his arms, the writer might have the following feelings EXCEPT _____________.
A. He admired them very much
B. He wished that the relation between him and his father could also be so harmonious
C. He felt that happiness had been far away from him/her
D. He felt disappointed with his father
43. Why do you think the father often shouts at his child?
A.The father is getting older and older.
B.The child had already grown up.
C.They never agree with each other.
D.The father has got used to doing that.
44. What conclusion can you draw after reading the text?
A.The father treats his child in an unfair way.
B.The father is actually kind to his child.
C.The father is neither kind nor cruel to his child.
D.The father is always finding fault with his child.
45. The article is ____________.
A. expository writing B. argumentative writing
C. narrative writing D. reportage
第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题:每小题2.5分,满分50分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
Today, as in every other day of the year, more than 3000 U.S. adolescents will smoke their first cigarette on their way to becoming regular smokers as adults. During their lifetime, it can be expected that of these 3000 about 23 will be murdered, 30 will die in traffic accidents, and nearly 750 will be killed by a smoking-related disease. The number of deaths attributed to cigarette smoking outweighs all other factors, whether voluntary or involuntary, as a cause of death.
Since the late 1970s, when daily smoking among high school seniors reached 30 percent, smoking rates among youth have declined. While the decline is impressive, several important issues must be raised.
First, in the past several years, smoking rates among youth have declined very little. Second, in the late 1970s, smoking among male high school seniors exceeded that among female by nearly 10 percent. The statistic is reversing. Third, several recent studies have indicated high school dropouts have excessively high smoking rates, as much as 75 percent.
Finally, though significant declines in adolescent smoking have occurred in the past decade, no definite reasons for the decline exist. Within this context, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began its current effort to determine the most effective measures to reduce smoking levels among youth.
36. According to the author, the deaths among youth are mainly caused by __________.
A. traffic accidents B. smoking-related disease
C. murder D. all of these
37. Every day there are over ______ high school students who will become regular smokers.
A. 750 B. 23 C. 30 D. 3000
38. By “dropout” the author means __________.
A. students who failed the examination B. students who left school
C. students who lost their way D. students who were driven out of school
39. The reason for declining adolescent smoking is that __________.
A. NCI has taken effective measures
B. smoking is prevented among high school seniors
C. there are many smokers who have died of cancer
D. none of these
40. What is implied but not stated by the author is that __________.
A. smoking rates among youth have declined very little
B. there are now more female than male smokers among high school seniors
C. high smoking rates are due to the increase in wealth
D. smoking at high school is from low socio-economic backgrounds
第二节 完型填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
“Two books per visit per week,” said the unsmiling librarian as she handed a library card. Neither the limits nor her attitude 16 me, a 9 – year – old Jewish girl growing up in Berlin in the 1950s. I needed those visits. The books were filled with stories in which, however 17 things seemed, everything 18 well in the end, 19 justice, bravery, and wisdom –--- a striking contrast (对比) to my everyday experiences.
Thirty years later, I, a recent immigrant to the US with a daughter aged 13, stood in front of another librarian. This librarian was 20 .
“What did she say?” I asked my daughter, who already knew a little English and often 21 as my interpreter.
“She said ‘Can I help you?’”
“Ask if they have any books in 22 ,” I requested.
“No, they don’t.” translated my daughter.
While hunting for a job, I was told that the library needed people to 23 books. The interview was short –--- the job didn’t require much English, just a 24 of the alphabet. I started the next day. Every day, I handled hundreds of books whose meaning was 25 from me, mentally dividing them by size and color. One day, while shelving, I found English for Beginners and began studying it on my own. 26 English letters started forming words I could 27 , words combined into phrases, and –--- oh, 28 ! –-- I was reading. It was a slow process, supported by dictionaries and 29 by tears, but it was progress. Afterwards I got promoted to the front desk ----- 30 books in and out and answering simple questions.
Every day I receive dozens of people. Sometimes I spot new immigrants. They come from all over the world, so they look different, but the hesitant expression on their faces and their 31 manners are similar. My heart goes out to them, 32 they are people like me. I fully understand the 33 roads on which they have stepped. “They’ve come to the right place,” I think to 34 . Then I smile and say – just the 35 a librarian said to me a long time ago –--- “Can I help you?”
16.A.surprised B.comforted C.puzzled D.shocked
17.A.attractive B.dull C.terrible D.strange
18.A.went out B.turned out C.ended in D.came up
19.A.rewarding B.affecting C.completing D.denying
20.A.chatting B.staring C.reading D.smiling
21.A.introduced B.instructed C.guided D.served
22.A.Spanish B.French C.Russian D.German
23.A.shelve B.register C.record D.mark
24.A.list B.knowledge C.line D.competence
25.A.vague B.simple C.hidden D.clear
26.A.All of a sudden B.In no time C.Step by step D.Now and then
27.A.recognize B.realize C.define D.interpret
28.A.challenge B.wonder C.opportunity D.news
29.A.inspired B.accompanied C.blocked D.excited
30.A.checking B.classifying C.borrowing D.lending
31.A.rough B.elegant C.polite D.shy
32.A.though B.until C.for D.unless
33.A.difficult B.smooth C.endless D.straight
34.A.me B.myself C.them D.themselves
35.A.means B.approach C.method D.way
Elbert Einstein, for _____ life had once been very hard, was successful later in science.
A. his B. whose C. which D. whom