US universities are among the best in the world. Since World War Ⅱ, American scientists --- mostly working in universties or colleges --- have won more than half of all Nobel Prizes in physics and medicine. Foreign students rush to the United States by the tens of thousands. Last year they earned more than one quarter of the doctoral degrees awarded in the country. Yet while American universities produce the great research and great graduate program, they sometimes pay little attention to the task that lies at their very core: the teaching of undergraduate students.
With the increase in fees, educators feel obliged to improve undergraduate teaching. In speeches and interviews the nation’s higher educators have rediscovered teaching. Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities, said, “Our organization was never very concerned about teaching. In the last 18 months, we have spent more time on undergraduate education than on any other subject.”
Despite such promising efforts, no one doubts that research still outranks teaching at some of the leading universities, not least because it is a surer and faster way to earn status. Some people don’t think it has to be that way. They argue that the reward system for college faculty can be changed, so that professors will be encouraged to devote more time and effort to teaching. They say that they are beginning to believe that the first ten years of the 21st century may come to be remembered as the decade of the undergraduate.
That would bring it full circle. For more than two centuries after the founding of Harvard College in 1636, the instruction of undergraduate students was an essential condition of American higher education.
1.According to the passage, at some of the leading American universities ________.
A．research is declining in importance B．teaching now ranks above research
C．teaching is a sure way to gain position D．research still ranks above teaching
2.It is implied in the passage that about 200 years ago undergraduate instruction ________.
A．began to change all of a sudden
B．was already threatened by research work
C．was the central part of higher education
D．began to be neglected in most universities
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．University education in the US B．University education challenged
C．Teaching and research in universities D．Undergraduate teaching rediscovered
A long time ago, before human beings lived on the earth, little coral polyps（水螅）settled around tropical （热带的）coastlines and constructed corals. Over a long period they created lots of reefs. Yet, pollution, climate change and commercial fisheries are limiting the chance of future generations knowing or seeing many of the reefs and sea creatures that exist. Hence, take action to dive now and you can explore the underwater world.
Commercial underwater diving began in ancient Greece. Diving in general means that the whole body is completely in water. On that account there are lots of exciting and quite adventurous ways to dive, like shark cage diving, scuba diving（戴水肺潜水）and reef diving.
There are great coral reefs all over the world, but usually they are situated in warm, clear water such as the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where they grow best. This is why there are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa. However, South Africa’s east coast offers much brightly coloured sea life.
In South Africa more than 100,000 dives a year are made just in coral reefs, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. To see the whole beauty of the reef the right diving gear（设备） is an essential requirement. This means a perfect fitting diving mask and fins, as well as a snorkel（呼吸管）and a friend. Diving alone is dangerous because there may be strong currents you are not aware of, and it’s a lot more fun to share the experience with someone. However, before you can explore the deeper sea, a certificated and checked scuba, a wetsuit and of course a license will be needed. Whether you choose the snorkel or the scuba to spot the colourful underwater world, try to touch as little as possible, be careful with the corals and don’t strike the fishes, because the complex ecosystem is very sensitive.
1.The following factors probably affect coral reefs EXCEPT ________.
A．sea creatures B．pollution C．fishing D．climate change
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Human beings appeared before corals were created.
B．One needs a license to dive into the deeper sea.
C．Diving alone has many advantages.
D．The origin of diving is in modern Greece.
3.There are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa probably because of a lack of ________.
A．large waters and soft sand
B．warm currents and delicious food
C．friendly creatures and flat seabed
D．clear water and suitable temperature
4.The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.
A．diving alone under the sea is rather dangerous
B．some matters we need pay attention to when diving
C．South Africa is a popular place for diving
D．what we should wear when diving
In a generous display of maturity and sympathy, one Jewish boy made his first deed as a man in his faith a great act of charity.
Joshua Neidorf, a 13-year-old boy from Los Angeles, donated most of his birthday money to Operation Mend, a program that reconstructs the faces of severely burned U. S. veterans（退伍老兵）.
The young man decided to donate his money after getting to know Army Sgt. Louis Dahlman, who was undergoing a series of reconstruction surgeries（手术）at UCLA （University of California at Los Angeles） thanks to Operation Mend. The Neidorfs had signed up to be Dahlman’s “buddy family”, spending time with him whenever he visited Los Angeles for a surgery.
“I just love knowing that it’s going somewhere...to help the people who save our lives and keep us safe every day,” said Neidorf. His mother added, “It makes me feel like our world is going in a good direction with this next generation.”
In all, Neidorf gave $13,000 to Operation Mend. He also encouraged his friends to donate to the cause. He is the organization’s youngest donor so far.
Operation Mend is a privately funded program that works in partnership with the UCLA Medical Center. Ron Katz, a board member at the hospital, started the program in 2006 after seeing a TV programme about Aaron Mankin, a veteran who had gone through dozens of surgeries after a fight in Iraq which completely burned off his face.
Mankin ended up being Operation Mend’s first patient, starting the first of 20 reconstructive facial surgeries at UCLA in Sept. 2007. In a 2011 interview, Katz shared how his experience of helping Mankin made him realize the need to establish a more permanent program.
“My wife and I soon realized that there were dozens of Aarons out there,” Katz said. “They deserve the best that we offer them.”
1.Neidorf decided to help veterans because ________.
A．he benefited from Operation Mend B．he was afraid of burned faces
C．he thought they deserved help D．he didn’t know how to spend money
2.Operation Mend was founded after ________.
A．Neidorf donated part of his birthday money
B．the Neidorfs signed up to be Dahlman’s “buddy family”
C．Ron Katz saw a TV programme about a veteran
D．Mankin was successfully operated on at UCLA
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Neidorf’s mother was opposed to his decision to donate money.
B. Mankin’s face was burned in a fire in America.
C. Mankin went through more than 30 facial surgeries at UCLA.
D. Many facial surgeries are needed to reconstruct a seriously burned face.
4.The last two paragraphs mainly tell us ________.
A．the process of Mankin’s surgery B．how Operation Mend was set up
C．how Katz became famous D．veterans are respected by people
Neatly putting an emphasis on his storytelling skill is how writer Mo Yan began his Nobel Lecture in Literature speech, “Storyteller”, on Friday （Saturday, Beijing time） in Stockholm.
For 40 minutes he talked about his mother’s 36 on him as a person and a writer, his literary inspirations, and how he 37 with the controversy（争论）that followed the announcement of his Nobel victory.
He told his audience that as a boy he told stories to cheer up his mother, and 38 that poverty and loneliness fueled his imagination as a writer after he grew up. 39 , authors such as William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez 40 him, he said, especially their bold and unlimited writing style.
“A person should be 41 in daily life, but follow one’s instinct（本能）and take control when it 42 to literary creation.”
He said the soul of 43 all of his works is the boy in Transparent Carrot who has an almost superhuman ability to bear 44 . He added that he also tried to make his hometown of Gaomi in Shandong Province a microcosm（缩影）of China and even the 45 .
His greatest challenge, he said, was writing novels that deal with 46 realities.
“In writing about the dark aspects of society there is a（n） 47 that emotions and anger allow politics to limit literature.”
He said literature must be 48 on real life but go beyond it.
He also mentioned the 49 surrounding his selection as Nobel winner, saying he was showered with many flowers. 50 he was a target for “stone throwers”.
“At first I thought I was the 51 of the controversies, but over time I’ve come to realize that the real target was a person who had 52 to do with me.”
Mo 53 his lecture by saying he was made to feel like an actor in a play with all the attention he was 54 , but he had decided that the best way to communicate his thoughts was to __55 writing.
1. A．affection B．influence C．occasion D．position
2. A．agreed B．fought C．dealt D．did
3. A．added B．warned C．reminded D．imagined
4. A．However B．Otherwise C．Therefore D．Besides
5. A．preserved B．inspired C．entertained D．taught
6. A．confident B．certain C．comfortable D．modest
7. A．goes B．comes C．turns D．gets
8. A．nearly B．hardly C．scarcely D．always
9. A．danger B．suffering C．relieving D．happiness
10. A．city B．village C．world D．province
11. A．social B．economical C．agricultural D．cultural
12. A．encouragement B．danger C．advantage D．event
13. A．insisted B．spent C．based D．passed
14. A．contradiction B．contest C．contrary D．controversy
15. A．Meanwhile B．Otherwise C．However D．Instead
16. A．goal B．intention C．target D．purpose
17. A．somebody B．anything C．nothing D．anybody
18. A．adopted B．concluded C．admitted D．concerned
19. A．throwing B．accepting C．offering D．receiving
20. A．carry on B．take on C．bring out D．put out
-----Have you heard that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature last year?
---- ________. He has made a positive contribution to that field.
A．Congratulations! B．You must be joking.
C．By no means! D．He deserves it.
Some lawyers have long called for changes to these laws which they think are ___ in the 21 st Century.
A．in place B．on the way C．by the way D．out of place
