China was a latecomer to space exploration, and in the movies, it has been a latecomer to science fiction, too. That is about to change. The country's first blockbuster (大片)set in space, The Wandering Earth, opens Tuesday with great expectations that it will represent the dawning of a new age in Chinese filmmaking. The film also opens with the Lunar New Year, the beginning of an official，weeklong holiday that is traditionally a peak box-office period in China. It has a limited show in the United States, Canada，Australia and New Zealand.
The Wandering Earth, shown in 3-D, takes place in a distant future in which the sun is about to expand into a red giant and destroy the Earth. The approaching danger forces the world’s engineers to make a plan to move the planet to a new solar system using giant thrusters (推进器).Things go very badly when the Earth has to pass the Jupiter, setting off desperate disturbance to save humanity from ruin.
The film comes as China reached a milestone(里程碑)in space : the landing of a probe (探测器)on the far side of the moon in January. Although decades behind Russia and the United States, China has now put astronauts in orbit and has ambitious plans to join or even lead a new age of space exploration.
''I think there is a very close connection between Chinese cinema and the nation's fortunes,'' said Sha Dan, a leader at the China Film Archive, ''When we have the ability to rescue our people abroad, we can make movies like Operation Red Sea. Only when China can enter the space age can we make works like The Wandering Earth. ''
The Wandering Earth takes for granted China's central role in future space exploration，but it also has a vision of the international teamwork necessary to deal with the threats facing the planet, a theme that runs deeply through the film.
1.What does the author think of The Wandering Earth?
A.It is a success in science-fiction films.
B.It is a hit in the oversea film markets.
C.It is the beginning of Chinese filmmaking.
D.It is only a present for the Lunar New Year.
2.What causes the Earth to wander in space?
A.A new solar system.
B.A new planet like the Earth.
C.The expanding sun in a distant future.
D.A deadly disease for people on the Earth.
3.What is reflected throughout The Wandering Earth?
A.The importance of heroes.
B.The threats from explorations.
C.The nation's power of China.
D.The international cooperation.
Blake Mycoskie set up five businesses, but later he sold them all at a profit. Feeling a bit burned out from work, Mycoskie decided to give it a break for a while and headed down to Argentina for some rest. But rest isn't really part of a businessman's make-up. It's in their nature to keep having good business ideas.
On a visit to a village outside Buenos Aires, he was shocked to see that many children didn’t have any shoes or, if they did，the shoes were badly worn. Since shoes—particularly the local farmers，canvas(帆布的)shoes—can be bought cheaply in Argentina, Mycoskie5s first instinct(本能) was to set up a charity to donate shoes to the children. But after giving it some thought, he realized that this was not a model that would work. One pair of shoes per child would not make that much difference，because they wear out(磨损). And if he asked people to donate repeatedly —to provide new shoes for the same child every six months—the donors，sympathy(同情)for the cause might also wear out pretty quickly.
Instead he came up with the idea of ''TOMS: one-for-one shoes''. He would take the canvas shoe to America, manufacture it and sell it as a high end fashion item at around $ 50 a pair. For each pair he sold he would donate one pair to shoeless village children. That way he could guarantee a continual supply.
Several years on，the business is very successful, supplying shoes not only to children in Argentina but also other parts of the world. But is the one-for-one model one that can be repeated with other products? Mycoskie is doubtful. TOMS is a for-profit business, but does not yet make a profit. He says one-for-one is not an offer that you can just add to your existing business model; you have to build it in from the beginning.
Some would also argue that the charity aspect is just a marketing tool，but in the end does that matter? TOMS is making a real difference to poor children all over the world and Mycoskie is enjoying being a businessman more than ever.
1.Why did Blake Mycoskie go to Argentina?
A.To go for relaxation. B.To seek business cooperation.
C.To look for new business ideas. D.To learn to make canvas shoes.
2.Why didn’t Blake Mycoskie set up a charity?
A.He wasn't interested in running a charity.
B.He had no real experience of running a charity.
C.A charity would make no difference to the children.
D.A charity could not donate shoes to the children continually.
3.Why did Blake Mycoskie set up TOMS?
A.To help poor children. B.To support a charity.
C.To win national fame. D.To expand his business.
4.What do we know about TOMS?
A.It has made a profit.
B.It only supplies shoes to children in Argentina.
C.It gives Mycoskie a sense of achievement.
D.It can be a model for other kinds of products
Teenagers who spend more than six hours online on school days are more likely to be lonely and skip school, according to an international study.
The study examined the home Internet use，well-being(幸福)and behaviour of 296,000 15-year-olds in 41 countries. More than one in four spent more than four hours per day online outside of school. The study found lower levels of well-being among students who spent more than six hours per day online. They were twice as likely as teenagers spending one and two hours per day online to report that they felt lonely at school. These ''extreme Internet users'' were also especially at risk of ''behaving in problematic ways at school, such as arriving late or skipping class''.
The report said, ''Lower levels of engagement(密切关系)with school may be connected to less sense of belonging at school. It is also possible that skipping class and arriving late for school are the consequence of lack of sleep among extreme Internet users. '' It adds，'' Parents， schools and health professionals can work together to watch and plan children's use of new media. ''
The study also found that countries that invest (投资)heavily in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools have seen no ''considerable'' difference in 15-year-olds5 achievement in reading, math or science tests. The study results suggest ''limited'' use of computers at school ''may be better'' than not using them at all. However, students who use computers ''very frequently'' at school ''do a lot worse in most learning outcomes''. The report says，'' In the end，technology can strengthen great teaching，but great technology cannot replace poor teaching. ''
1.The international study showed that .
A.half of the students spent six hours online every day
B.extreme Internet users had lower levels of well-being
C.teenagers spent much time online when they felt lonely
D.most of the students were late for school after extreme Internet use
2.What can we learn from the study results?
A.Schools should invest more in ICT.
B.Proper use of computers is helpful at school.
C.Technology sometimes leads to poor teaching.
D.Computer users perform well in maths at school.
3.Where does this text most probably come from?
A.An engineer textbook. B.A personal diary.
C.A science news report. D.A computer book.
More students than ever before are taking a gap year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated (起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).
That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible.” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to £ 15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,” he said.
1.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
A.It is flexible in length. B.It is a time for relaxation.
C.It is increasingly popular. D.It is required by universities.
2.According to Tony Higgins, students taking a gap year .
A.are better prepared for college studies
B.know a lot more about their future jobs
C.are more likely to leave university in debt
D.have a better chance to enter top universities
3.How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon?
A.He’s puzzled. B.He’s worried.
C.He’s surprised. D.He’s annoyed.
4.What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
A.Attend additional courses. B.Make plans for the new term.
C.Earn money for their education. D.Prepare for their graduate studies.
阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
From the very beginning of school we make books and reading a constant source of possible failure and public humiliation. When children are little we make them read aloud, before the teacher and other children, so that we can be sure they “know” all the words they are reading. This means that when they don’t know a word, they are going to make a mistake, right in front of everyone. After having taught fifth-grade classes for four years, I decided to try at all costs to rid them of their fear and dislike of books, and to get them to read oftener and more adventurously.
One day soon after school had started, I said to them, “Now I’m going to say something about reading that you have probably never heard a teacher say before. I would like you to read a lot of books this year, but I want you to read them only for pleasure. I am not going to ask you questions to find out whether you understand the books or not. If you understand enough of a book to enjoy it and want to go on reading it, that’s enough for me. Also I’m not going to ask you what words mean. “
The children sat stunned and silent. Was this a teacher talking? One girl, who had just come to us from a school where she had had a very hard time, looked at me steadily for a long time after I had finished. Then, still looking at me, she said slowly and seriously, Mr Holt, do you really mean that?” I said just as seriously, “I mean every word of it.
During the spring she really astonished me. One day, she was reading at her desk, From a glimpse of the illustrations I thought I knew what the book was. I said to myself, “It can’t be,” and went to take a closer look. Sure enough, she was reading Moby Dick , in edition with woodcuts. I said, “Don’t you find parts of it rather heavy going?” She answered, Oh, sure, but I just skip over those parts and go on to the next good part. “
This is exactly what reading should be and in school so seldom is, an exciting, joyous adventure. Find something, dive into it, take the good parts, skip the bad parts, get what you can out of it, go on to something else. How different is our mean-spirited, picky insistence that every child get every last little scrap of “understanding” that can be dug out of a book.
1.According to the passage, children’s fear and dislike of books may result from________.
A.reading little and thinking little
B.reading often and adventurously
C.being made to read too much
D.being made to read aloud before others
2.The teacher told his students to read______ .
A.for enjoyment
B.for knowledge
C.for a larger vocabulary
D.for higher scores in exams
3.Upon hearing the teacher’s talk, the children probably felt that________.
A.it sounded stupid
B.it was not surprising at all
C.it sounded too good to be true
D.it was no different from other teachers' talk
4.Which of the following statements about the girl is TRUE according to the passage?
A.She skipped over those easy parts while reading.
B.She had a hard time finishing the required reading tasks.
C.She learned to appreciate some parts of the difficult books.
D.She turned out to be a top student after coming to this school.
5.From the teacher's point of view,_________ .
A.children cannot tell good parts from bad parts while reading
B.children should be left to decide what to read and how to read
C.reading is never a pleasant and inspiring experience in school
D.reading involves understanding every little piece of information
D
Parents who help their children with homework may actually be bringing down their school grades. Other forms of prenatal involvement, including volunteering at school and observing a child's class, also fail to help, according to the most recent study on the topic.
The findings challenge a key principle of modern parenting(养育子女) where schools except them to act as partners in their children's education. Previous generations concentrated on getting children to school on time, fed, dressed and ready to learn.
Kaith Robinson, the author of the study, said, "I really don't know if the public is ready for this but there are some ways parents can be involved in their kids' education that leads to declines in their academic performance. One of the things that was consistently negative was parents' help with homework." Robinson suggested that may be because parents themselves struggle to understand the task." They may either not remember the material their kids are studying now, or in some cases never learnt it themselves, but they're still offering advice."
Robinson assessed parental involvement performance and found one of the most damaging things a parent could do was to punish their children for poor marks. In general, about 20% of parental involvement was positive, about 45% negative and the rest statistically insignificant.
Common sense suggests it was a good thing for parents to get involved because "children with good academic success do have involved parents ", admitted Robinson. But he argued that this did not prove parental involvement was the root cause of that success." A big surprise was that Asian-American parents whose kids are doing so well in school hardly involved. They took a more reasonable approach, conveying to their children how success at school could improve their lives."
1.The underlined expression "parental involvement " in Paragraph 1 probably means .
A.parents' expectation on children's health
B.parents' participation in children's education
C.parents' control over children's life
D.parents' plan for children's future
2.What is the major finding of Robinson's study ?
A.Modern parents raise children in a more scientific way.
B.Punishing kids for bad marks is mentally damaging.
C.Parental involvement is not so beneficial as expected.
D.Parents are not able to help with children’s homework.
3.The example of Asian-American parents implies that parents should .
A.help children realize the importance of schooling
B.set a specific life goal for their children
C.spend more time improving their own lives
D.take a more active part in school management
