The increase in tuition fees(学费) has led to a “clear drop” in the number of English students applying for university places this autumn. There are 15,000 “missing” applicants this academic year, according to the Independent Commission on Fees. Chairman Will Hutton said: “We’re asking our young men and women to have more debt than any other country in the world — it’s higher than the average debt in the US. It’s not clear whether those lost students this year will return next year, or if it’s a storm warming of a worrying trend.”
But the commission’s report says there does not seem to be an impact on poorer communities. The commission found there was no significant change in the application rate to the key universities, such as Oxford or Cambridge. The decline （下降）in England has not been mirrored in other parts of the UK where fees have not been raised, and the drop can only partly be explained by falling numbers of young people in the population. Students from Scotland attending Scottish universities do not pay fees, while the Welsh Assembly says it will pay fees above ￡3,465 for Welsh students attending UK institutions.
The average tuition fee at English universities this year is ￡ 8,385, rising to ￡ 8,507 next year. UK and EU students have access to govemment-backed loans to pay the fees. And the survey of 1,000 pupils aged 15-18, carried out this April, found that the majority expected to go on to higher education as people continue to understand that university remains a good long term investment in their future.
A spokeswoman at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which is responsible for universities, said:“Students shouldn’t be forced to put off going to university for financial reasons. Most students will not have to pay in advance, and no one will have to start paying back their student loan until they start to earn at least ￡ 2l,000 per year.”
1.From the first paragraph, we know that __________________ .
A. it’s a trend that English students are dropping out of school
B. the rising tuition fees have a great effect on English students
C. the lost English students will find their way back
D. many English students are missing the final examinations
2.Why is there still a drop of applicants though fees have not been raised?
A. Because the students live in poor communities.
B. Because Welsh students will pay fees above￡3,465.
C. Because education is free for Scottish students.
D. Because there are less young students in the area.
3.What’s the students’ attitude to universities in the survey?
A. Most of them are willing to go to university.
B. They feel universities takes up too much time.
C. They will stop applying for university places this autumn.
D. They are anxious to go to a key university.
4.The spokeswoman in the last paragraph advises students to ______________
A. put off going to university
B. reduce the anxiety about the rising fees
C. pay for the fees in advance
D. pay back their loan soon after graduation
Many parents take on the role of being their children’s preschool teacher and the responsibility of readying them for kindergarten. To achieve this goal, it is important for parents to introduce a variety of subjects in a positive and playful manner.
“Learning should not be forced,”says Marion Godwin, who has taught first grade in Moorestown, N. J. for more than 30 years.“ It should be taught according to what they know and do best—and that is‘ play’. When teaching them, play games and have fun with the subject. And parents should always be looking for‘teachable moments’.”
“You want a child to be a lifelong learner, so you want to show them learning is everywhere,”she says.“If parents take the time to lay a strong educational foundation, their children will keep building on it.”
Introduce children to science with hands-on activities that interest them, such as growing plants from seeds, discussing animals and how to care for pets, and observing the chemical changes that occur during cooking”, she says.
“Sorting activities, simple patterns and counting games are a great way to teach children the basics of math, and taking them on field trips, singing songs and reciting rhymes also are ways to prepare them for the first day of school”, she says.
“I think children are naturals when i
t comes to computers,” she says.“Let them play educational games on the computer and teach them how to type their first names using the keyboard. When they are more familiar with using the computer, let them find pictures of animals and places on the web. ”
“Don’t criticize the child,” she says. “You can’t force them to learn something. If they don’t get something right, so what? Smile and be happy and make the experience joyful. Parents need to understand that if a child gets something wrong, they may think something is wrong with them. Keep working with them and when they get the right answer make sure you tell them how hard they worked to get the correct answer. ”
1.Marion Godwin tells us that we should teach the children according to their_____ .
A. subjects and needs
B. level and interest
C. teachable moments
D. strong educational foundation
2.According to Godwin, children should ____________________ .
A. keep a pet each and care for it
B. do some cooking every day
C. learn science with interesting hand-on activities
D. learn from the farmers and grow plants from seeds
3.In Godwin’s opinion, children should be encouraged to_________ .
A. learn all by themselves
B. play more computer games
C. learn to type their first names
D. learn online under instructions
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. How to prepare your children for kindergarten
B. Learning should not be forced
C. How to be a lifelong learner
D. Learning is everywhere
Thirty years ago not many people would have dreamed of doing the repairs and decorations in their own homes. In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves.
Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all sorts of jobs round the house including painting, papering, putting up shelves and wall units, and tiling walls and floors. Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by the introduction of prepared materials, which require the minimum amount of skill to use. In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “Do-It-Yourself” shop containing a vast range of timber, tiles, paints, wallpapers and floor coverings besides tools of every description including power drills and many accessories. “Do-It-Yourself” is a booming（繁荣的） business; all these shops do a roaring trade and look like continuing to do so. Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.
1.Why did people employ professional workers to decorate homes thirty years ago?
A. Because they could not do it themselves.
B. Because professional workers could do much better.
C. Because they had no time.
D. Because professional workers were very cheap.
2.Thirty years later what changes took place?
A. People could do everything themselves.
B. People with no professional training successfully built their own houses.
C. Few people chose to be a professional worker.
D. New expensive materials required no skills at all.
3.What caused the DIY craze?
A. High cost of professional workers.
B. “Do-It-Yourself” is a booming business.
C. There were fewer building companies.
D. Young people liked to follow the fashion
4.What is the speaker telling us ?
A. Changes in housing..
B. Changes in building.
C. How DIY comes into being
D. Great changes in these thirty
After the examination, the doctor told my parents my sight would get worse and that I would lose my sight finally. On the way home from hospital, no one said a word. One day, would I only imagine the scenery beyond the glass rather than see it?
That September, I entered middle school. Most nights I had homework that included an armful of books to read. To keep up with other children, I took great trouble to finish the task. With my nose a couple of inches from the page, I was tired easily. What’s worse, after I had read several pages on my own, the words slipped off the page into inky pools.
However, then I did not have audio books and electronic devices like kids do now. Instead, Mom volunteered to read out loud. Mom worked part-time, cleaned the house, cooked and spent time with Grandma. In spite of being so busy, she showed up in my room like clockwork. She put on her reading glasses. Mom always thought those glasses made her look old. To me, she looked like a teacher.
In my room, Mom’s voice competed with the ticking of the clock. Being forced to focus on listening, I found a way to keep my marks up and compete with the other kids. When the teacher asked a question, I raised my hand with confidence. Teachers praised me for having a good memory. Reading removed my fear for my failing sight, reading also made me curious about other people’s challenges and how they managed. Though I could not use my eyes to fix on each passage, my mind lit up with every new book.
True to what the doctor said, the worst came, but thanks to Mom, my sense of hearing now allows me to “see”. This was the most precious gift from a mother to her child.
1.Why did the author and his parents keep silent on their way back home from hospital?
A. They all wanted to have a good rest.
B. What the doctor said made them worried.
C. The author didn’t do well in the exam.
D. They focused on the scenery along the road
2.How did the author manage to get high marks?
A. By listening carefully. 
B. By being confident
C. By getting help from his classmates.
D.
By reading as many books as possible.
3.We can learn from the text that .
A. the author’s sight recovered finally
B. r
eading made the author more sensitive
C. the author’s mother didn’t work to look after him
D. reading made the author not worry about his sight
4.Which of the following could be the title of the text?
A. My eyesight trouble
B. An unforgettable experience
C. About Mother’s love
D. With ears wide open
I was shopping at my local supermarket, as I normally have for years. One particular day, I had done about 2 weeks worth of shopping and toward the register to pay for what I bought. After the cashier(收银员) had scanned my items and I had bagged them up, she stated（说） that the was $150.
I into my back right pocket to take the money to pay and noticed that there was no money there. I started to get . I knew my purse was in the car and I was sure I had put the in my back right pocket. I looked at the cashier with wet eyes and a look not knowing what to do. There were people behind me on the line. She told me to speak with the courtesy counter (爱心柜台). I and said, “Really? It's , no one would hand that in!” But she me to. “You never know…” she said.
I decided that there was no in checking so I walked up to a woman behind the counter and said “I have to ask, did anyone cash by any chance?” She asked “How much?” My face then . “$200 in the form of one hundred dollar bills.” I replied. She said, “ , yes, someone did!” I was so ! “Who? I want to thank her.” She pointed to a young girl about 10 years old and said, “She did.”
I walked over to the mom and hugged her. She said, “It wasn't me, it was my ” . I said “I know, I wanted to thank you both, she found it ... it's because of you that I got this back.” I was so happy. I was almost in tears.
The next day at work, a person in another department me tickets to the circus（马戏团). He handed me 5 tickets. Almost that young girl’s face popped (突然出现) in my head. After work I went back to the supermarket and stopped at the courtesy counter and asked if she had any idea who that woman was. She smiled and said, “Yes, She is a friend of mine”. Then I asked her to do me a favor and pass along these 5 tickets to her.
She told me that the family of 
the little girl who found my money were not rich so they would really this. She also said that they had 3 children, so five was the number of tickets!
1.A. headed B. retired C. hesitated D. showed
2.A. percentage B. total C. product D. luggage
3.A. checked B. searched C. reached D. looked
4.A. particular B. nervous C. curious D. serious
5.A. money B. card C. purse D. goods
6.A. shocked B. moved C. confused D. inspired
7.A. blamedB. screamed C. shouted D. laughed
8.A. reality B. evidence C. cash D. truth
9.A. forced B. promised C. discouraged D. encouraged
10.A. harm B. need C. expense D. doubt
11.A. work out B. hand in C. send for D. take away
12.A. lit up B. broke up C. send off D. burst out.
13.A. Eventually B. Actually C. Finally D.Unfortunately
14.A. interested B. worried C. surprised D. absorbed
15.A. daughter B. husband C. mother D. friend
16.A. because B. although C. however D. besides
17.A. lent B. borrowed C. produced D. offered
18.A. simply B. constantly C. immediately D. previously
19.A. reject B. buy C. ignore D. appreciate
20.A. unique B. perfect C. official D. typical
My grandma’s after-supper ______ includes: walking the dog in the neighborhood and dancing in the park with many other aged women..
A．regulationB．programC. trainingD. routine
