The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it’s threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012, just 15% of the most1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive(草写字母). The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn’t affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity(真实性) can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive(认知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.
It doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George’s County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological(神经系统的) writing, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.
1.What is the author concerned about after 2012 Sat exams?
A. Keyboarding. B. Shorthand. C. Handwriting. D. Block letters.
2.A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____________.
A. prove how valuable handwriting is
B. explain what a famous poet he is
C. show how unique his poem is
D. stress how fascinating the documents are
3.The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that _____________.
A. the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting
B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed
C. it doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills
D. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one
4.According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?
A. Kindergarten. B. Primary school.
C. High school. D. College.
5.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
A. Devotion. B. Encouragement. C. Critical. D. Objective.
A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.
Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently from other ones.
Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or “staff”, in an object.
Another kind of black hole is called “stellar”(星球黑洞). Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many stellar mass black holes in Earth’s galaxy. Earth’s galaxy is called the Milky Way.
The largest black holes are called “supermassive”(超大质量黑洞). These black holes have masses that are more than one million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy has a mass equal to about four million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.
Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began. Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or falls apart. When this happens, it exploded part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.
A black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But scientists can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around, or orbiting a black hole.
When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light cannot be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light.
1.The gravity of a black hole may become so strong that light cannot get out when ____________.
A. the star is going to die
B. special tools are used on it
C. other stars come close to it
D. it is seen from the space telescopes
2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. A black hole can be very tiny but extremely heavy.
B. The gravity of a black hole holds all light in its center.
C. Scientists observe high-energy light through their own eyes.
D. Some small black holes came into being as early as the universe.
3.The underlined word “galaxy” in Paragraph 5 means __________.
A. a black hole B. the Milky Way
C. a series of stars D. a planet near the earth
4.What does the last sentence in Paragraph 5 suggest?
A. Neither the sun nor the earth is as heavy as a black hole.
B. There is a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
C. The supermassive black hole had existed before the Milky Way was formed.
D. There is a reason why the large black holes are called “supermassive”.
5.The last two paragraph mainly focus on the question of _________.
A. what a black hole is
B. how black holes form
C. how big black holes are
D. how scientists know about black holes
Having spent two and a half years in China over several visits, I don’t remember ever going through a phase we in the United States call “cultural shock”. This period of difficulty in adjusting to a new culture would probably have set in during my semester at Peking University. Of course, this is not to say that I didn’t notice any differences between the American and Chinese cultures upon my arrival at Peking University, I did notice the differences. Looking back, I remember one of the first differences I noticed: Chinese universities are surrounded by walls.
To an American, this is one of the most striking aspects of a Chinese university which immediately sets it apart from an American campus. Having grown up in the United States, I had never seen a university surrounded by high, cement(水泥) walls. My idea of a university, based on having seen scores of them in different states of the U.S., was a place of life and learning, an inseparable part of the community in which it was located, open not only to the students of the school itself, but also fully accessible to students from other schools and to the broader public.
My idea of a university was that it was a center of cultural life, a resource for the entire community. In all my twenty-one years, it had never occurred to me that a school would have a wall around it. Walls enclose and separate; schools expand and integrate(合并). The very idea seemed fundamentally incompatible. I asked a Chinese friend if all Chinese universities have walls around them. “You know, I have never really thought about it. I guess so. I guess all Chinese schools have walls around them, not just universities.” “Why?” I asked, “What’s the point?” “I don’t know. To protect us, I suppose.” “From whom?” “I don’t know. Don’t you have walls around your schools in the United States?” I thought carefully before answering. “No, I’ve never seen or heard of a university encircled by a wall.” My Chinese friend seemed puzzled. Walls around schools came to strike me as more than just an architectural difference between the United States and China. As China continues to open up to the outside world, these walls seem increasingly out of place.
1.The author felt strange about Chinese culture when he ___________.
A. studied in Peking University
B. talked with his friends about the walls
C. experienced the “cultural shock” at his arrival
D. spent two and a half years in China over several visits
2.In the author’s opinion, a university is a place ___________.
A. where only students can come to study
B. which is similar everywhere in the world
C. that should be surrounded by high cement walls
D. that is an inseparable part of and a resource for the community
3.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. The two ideas are fundamental.
B. The two ideas are basically different.
C. The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are suitable.
D. The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are conflicting.
4.What did the author’s friend feel about the walls around universities?
A. He thought it a good idea to have walls encircling schools.
B. He was shocked that American universities are not enclosed.
C. He thought they were necessary to protect students from being hurt.
D. He thought the difference between two countries is only architectural styles.
5.We can infer from the passage that the author thinks _____________.
A. walls are really useful in the universities
B. he can never really understand the Chinese culture
C. Chinese universities should work as public scenic spots
D. walls around the universities are inappropriate in an open China
Dear fellow students,
May I have your attention, please? Now I’d like to make a speech here. As we know, waste ___1.___ (become) common scenes on campus. Some pour the remains of a meal when there is still much ___2.___(leave); ___3.___ simply walk away after washing hands, leaving the water ___4.___ (run); students leave the classroom every day ___5.___ noticing whether fans are switched off. Has thrift(节俭)，one of the most national tradition ___6.___ developed from our long history gone? ___7.___ so, find it back!
We don’t have to take great pains to control waste, but action and a grateful heart are needed; thank the water that runs through our fingers, and save it for poor Arabian or African countries struggling in water ___8.___ (short); thank the light we enjoy because in poor areas, children share a dim(昏暗的) lamp ___9.___ (read); thank all the paper we are able to use, for trees are cut down to satisfy ___10.___ needs; thank everything nature can offer and everything we can own.
Live and act, so the tradition of thrift will never fade.
I grew up in a tiny Baltimore row house in a faraway mountain area. My parents ______ the necessities of life but they couldn’t give much more. If I asked my father for a pair of jeans, he would say, “ If you want them, make the money and buy them yourself.” He wasn’t being mean; he just couldn’t ______ them. From age 12 on, I did part-time jobs after school.
When I ______ from high school, I joined the navy. Soon I was in a boot camp(新兵训练营) at Parris Island, S.C., where I learned that life in the navy centered around completing daily ______. These could be anything from cleaning the camp to conducting mock(模拟的) battles. Completing these tasks successfully ______ discipline, team-work and responsibility. It didn’t ______ whether you were black, white or Asian; everyone worked together for the ______ of the company.
I went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academic and later became an officer in the navy. The part of my job I ______ most was the consulting(咨询) meetings I ______ with the family members of the men and women in my ______, trying to help them deal with the long periods of ______. These proved popular and word of them spread. Before long I was being asked to give encouraging ______ to business groups, educators and kids across the country.
But I consider the boot camp my first real ______, and my life is still guided by the ______ lessons I learned there. It taught me discipline, friendship and the pride related to setting a task every day and working hard to ______ it.
1.A. provided B. got C. made D. bought
2.A. pay B. find C. produce D. afford
3.A. came B. returned C. escaped D. graduated
4.A. drills B. tasks C. exercises D. reports
5.A. included B. asked C. required D. met
6.A. matter B. mean C. exist D. work
7.A. good B. staff C. rest D. right
8.A. took B. hated C. enjoyed D. did
9.A. ended B. began C. continued D. held
10.A. charge B. situation C. position D. choice
11.A. lessons B. meetings C. training D. separation
12.A. gifts B. descriptions C. speeches D. performances
13.A. vacation B. place C. job D. travel
14.A. important B. bitter C. normal D. difficult
15.A. gain B. achieve C. show D. match
假如你是李华，最近你在浏览一个新西兰中学网站时，看到一位名叫Tom的中学生的留言，他计划在暑假期间到中国的北京旅游，希望能有一名中国留学生做他的导游。你对此很感兴趣，请根据以下要点提示写一封e-mail给他，介绍你的相关情况。
主要内容包括 ：
1．希望做他的导游； 2．打算如何给他做导游； 3．期盼他的回复。
注意：
1. 词数100左右； 2. 可适当增加情节，以使行文连贯；3. 信的开头已为你写好。
Dear Tom,
Recently, while browsing a senior high school website of New Zealand, I saw the message you posted on it.
_________________________________________________________________________________ ___
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
