In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.
That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.
Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.
1.According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.
A. too much importance is placed on sports in America
B. little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools
C. American high schools complain about sports time
D. PISA plays a very important role in America
2.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.
A. American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot
B. high expectations push up American students’ academic performance
C. low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance
D. lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance
3.The purpose of this article is to _______.
A. draw public attention to a weakness in American school tradition
B. call on American schools to learn from the Polish model
C. compare Polish schools with those in America
D. explain what is wrong with American schools and provide solutions
Books, Films and Plays
The novelist’s medium is the written word, one might almost say the printed word. Typically the novel is consumed by a silent, individual reader, who may be anywhere at the time. The paperback novel is still the cheapest, most portable and adaptable form of narrative entertainment. It is limited to a single channel of information---writing. The narrative can go, effortlessly, anywhere: into space, people’s head, palaces, prisons and pyramids, without any consideration of cost or practical possibility. In determining the shape and content of his narrative, the writer is restricted by nothing except purely artistic criteria. The novelist keeps absolute control over his text until it is published and received by the audience. He may be advised by his editor to revise his text, but if the writer refused to meet this condition no one would be surprised. It is not unknown for a well-established novelist to deliver his or her manuscript(手稿) and expect the publisher to print it exactly as written.
However, not even the most well-established playwright or screenplay writer would submit a script and expect it to be performed without any rewriting. This is because plays and motion pictures are cooperative forms of narrative, using more than one channel of communication.
The production of a stage play involves, as well as the words of the author, the physical presence of the actors, their voices and gestures, the “set” and possibly music. Although the script is the essential basis of both stage play and film, it is a basis for subsequent revision negotiated between the writer and the other creative people involved. They are given “approval” of the choice of director and actors and have the right to attend rehearsals(排演), during which period they may undertake more rewriting work. In the case of the screenplay, the writer may have little or no control over the final form of his work. Contracts for the production of plays protect the rights of authors in this respect.
In film or television work, on the other hand, the screenplay writer has no contractual right to this degree of consultation. While the script is going through its various drafts, the writer is in the driver’s seat, although sometimes receiving criticism from the producer and the director. But once the production is under way, artistic control over the project tends to pass to the director. This is a fact overlooked by most journalistic critics of television drama, who tend(unlike film critics) to give all the credit or blame for success or failure of a production to the writer and actors, ignoring the contribution, for good or ill, of the director.
1.Where might you find the passage?
A. In a textbook.
B. In a movie magazine.
C. In a travelling brochure.
D. In a shopping guide.
2.Which of these subtitles would be most appropriate?
A. Why does the future look good for writers of books, plays and films?
B. What do audiences want from these three forms of entertainment?
C. How do these forms of media compare for their producers?
D. What benefit can we get from these forms of media?
3.Why can the novelist expect the publisher to print the manuscript exactly as written?
A. Because the novelist keeps absolute control over his text.
B. Because the paperback novel is most portable and adaptable.
C. Because the novel is limited to a single channel of information---writing.
D. Because the novelist is seldom advised by editors to revise the text.
4.Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
A. Playwrights envy the simplicity of the novelist’s work.
B. Experience in the theatre improves the work of screenplay writers.
C. Screenplay writers usually have the final say in how a TV drama will turn out.
D. Playwrights are frequently involved in revising their work.
5.What can be implied from the last sentence of the passage?
A. TV critics often blame the wrong people for the failure of a program.
B. The director is a determining factor in the future of a television drama.
C. Few people know that the screenplay writer is often criticized by the director.
D. It is urgent for the film critics to realize their mistakes.
All hotels redecorate regularly. However, very few do it as frequently as Sweden’s Icehotel. As the name indicates，the hotel that is located in the remote village of Jukkasjarvi, is built entirely from ice and，therefore，has to be rebuilt annually! The 26th version of Icehotel, which welcomed its first visitors on December 11th，features 69 rooms. To make them affordable for everyone, they range from expensive luxury suites to basic accommodations.
Among this year’s unique suite offerings is the“Elephant in the Room”，which features a massive 3-m tall sculpted African elephant overlooking an ice—framed bed. The“Counting Sheep”suite features frozen sheep that may help those who don’t sleep well get a good night’s rest. Though the atmosphere between the luxury suites and the budget rooms may differ，they are all subject to the bone-chilling-5℃ temperatures. To get a good night’s rest guests have to lie inside sleeping bags and keep their gloves and hats on. Though that seems a little uncomfortable，visitors say it is an experience like none other.
The hotel also features a beautifully crafted ice church where over 100 couples will get married this year and an Ice Bar that will serve drinks in ice glasses. Though dining options are limited to the hotel’s only restaurant，guests will have little to complain about with Michelin—trained chef Alexander Meier. To keep customers entertained，the hotel offers a variety of fun activities like snowshoeing，moose or snowmobile safaris，dog sledding，and even overnight wilderness camping.
The 26-year-·old tradition began accidentally in 1989 when locals organized an art exhibition to draw winter visitors to the remote village that lies 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. Among the many tourists was an adventurous group and they announced their intention of spending the night in the place where the exhibition was being held. That’s when the idea of building the icy accommodations dawned on the locals.
1.Why is Sweden’s Icehotel rebuilt every year?
A. It needs more rooms.
B. It is entirely built from ice.
C. It follows old traditions
D. It can be easily decorated.
2.What is unique about the hotel this year?
A. It opens earlier than ever before.
B. More expensive rooms are available.
C. Room prices are more affordable.
D. Some rooms have theme sculptures.
3.What can be inferred about the hotel in Paragraph 3?
A. Its service needs improving.
B. Its activities may be boring.
C. It tries to appeal to customers.
D. Its food is not delicious at a11.
完形填空
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。
Third Culture Kids
As more cities and companies become increasing international, there is a growing number of children that are creating their own sub-culture. Often _________ to as TCKs (Third Culture Kids) or Global Nomads, these students have a(n) _________ impact on the global community.
So who are these Third Culture Kids? They are not a new phenomenon. As one looks _________ history, there is a realization that certain groups of people have led highly _________ lives, a key _________in describing TCKs. They often _________ their parents into another country and spend a significant part of his or her development years outside the parents’ culture. They are _________ to new cultures and to other people in the community who _________ move constantly. Their numbers _________ into the hundreds of thousands and are increasing. Ease of _________ and constant relocation of people through multinational companies and global business links contribute to this _________ .
The question “Who am I?” is frequently asked by TCKs. They have_________ a host of cultural identities, and have built relationships to all the cultures, ________ not having full ownership of any. Although elements from each culture are absorbed into TCK’s life experience, the sense of _________ is in relationship to others of a similar background.
As you enter into the world of TCKs, one might suspect they are no _________ . But it is _________, after spending only a short time with them, that they bring a deep knowledge from inside and a special ability to compare _________ and local issues. They represent many countries and cultures. They are the future cross-culturalists and _________ future politicians, diplomats, government employees and educators.
They certainly experience a different lifestyle compared to their mono-cultural peers but we can benefit from their global and _________ lives. So, whatever one chooses to label the international students as ---TCKs, Global Nomads, or Global Souls ---we will gain unbelievable _________.
1.A. submitted B. appealed C. subscribed D. referred
2.A. tremendous B. temporary C. immediate D. initial
3.A. down on B. forward to C. up to D. back on
4.A. adventurous B. mobile C. civilized D. primitive
5.A. factor B. reason C. cause D. figure
6.A. accompany B. divide C. drive D. invite
7.A. connected B. exposed C. addicted D. committed
8.A. frequently B. also C. rarely D. altogether
9.A. extend B. burst C. break D. change
10.A. communication B. travel C. interaction D. export
11.A. tradition B. trend C. option D. shift
12.A. revealed B. discovered C. accumulated D. accelerated
13.A. as B. while C. when D. so
14.A. achievement B. belonging C. possessing D. responsibility
15.A. exception B. denying C. doubtful D. different
16.A. universal B. vital C. clear D. essential
17.A. international B. updated C. complicated D. specific
18.A. luckily B. hopefully C. necessarily D. generally
19.A. professional B. spiritual C. material D. colorful
20.A. awards B. rewards C. popularity D. Success
—Our flight is boarding now. We’ll have to part.
—Don’t feel sad. ______.
A. All that glitters is not gold
B. All roads lead to Rome
C. All good things come to an end
D. A still tongue makes a wise head
_____, I believe, and you will find the boy is very outgoing.
A. Having a talk with the student
B. One talk with the student
C. Given a talk with the student
D. If you have a talk with the student
