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
E
Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation(诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character,and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.
Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?
To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines（学科）. Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention.So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.
On the whole,Brooks’ story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’ attempt to translate his tale into science.
1.The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to__________.
A.illustrate where science can be applied
B.demonstrate the value of Brooks’ new book
C.remind the reader of the importance of science
D.explain why many writers use science in their works
2.According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book?
A.Its strong basis.
B.Its convincing points.
C.Its clear writing.
D.Its memorable characters.
3.What is the author’s general attitude towards the book?
A.Contradictory.
B.Supportive.
C.Cautious.
D.Critical.
4.What is the author likely to write about after the last paragraph?
A.Problems with the book.
B.Brooks’s life experience.
C.Death of the characters.
D.Brooks’s translation skills.
My parents are from South Africa, and I’m a vegetarian, which no one in my small hometown in Washington understood. I always felt ______ from everybody else at school. As hard as I tried to keep myself ______, I started getting bullied(霸凌). I ______ who I was, wore really plain clothes, and tied up my bright red hair and ______ I wouldn’t attract as much attention. Eventually, I ______ to an arts high school, which was much more ______. There, I felt brave enough to show off the unique sides of my ______ and made friends who loved me for who I was.
More recently, I’ve ______ with confidence in my skin. When I moved to L. A. , I started getting bad cystic acne(痤疮). I didn’t want to go outside, and if I had to, I would ______ makeup. I’ve learned that you can’t ______ control your skin, but you can control how you treat yourself. When I tell myself I’m beautiful, or take a(n) ______ few minutes for skin care, I wake up the next morning feeling ______.
A lot of Riverdale fans made the ______ that I was as mean as Cheryl when the show was first ______, so I started a YouTube channel for them to get to know my true ______. And so many of them ask for advice about how to ______ bullying. Playing a ______ girl has helped me see the reasons I was bullied. I tell them, whoever is treating you that way is ______ something, and it has nothing to do with you. Like for Cheryl, every time her ______ erupts, it has to do with how she’s feeling about herself rather than the other characters. Cheryl behaves in a way that ______ her wealth and upbringing, a privileged daughter of a businessman.
My motto: If you take care of yourself, you’ll always feel confident and happy.
1.A.absent B.free C.distinct D.immune
2.A.active B.unique C.unnoticed D.ambitious
3.A.hid B.displayed C.remembered D.forgot
4.A.yet B.thus C.moreover D.meanwhile
5.A.submitted B.transported C.slipped D.transferred
6.A.persuasive B.inclusive C.expensive D.negative
7.A.hair B.origin C.personality D.identity
8.A.gone B.met C.started D.struggled
9.A.abuse B.absorb C.attach D.apply
10.A.constantly B.strictly C.hardly D.loosely
11.A.spare B.extra C.precious D.unhappy
12.A.nervous B.depressed C.content D.ridiculous
13.A.presentation B.explanation C.definition D.assumption
14.A.aired B.scheduled C.designed D.adapted
15.A.strengths B.charms C.values D.characters
16.A.handle B.relieve C.clarify D.monitor
17.A.popular B.mean C.foreign D.sensitive
18.A.seeing through B.falling through C.putting through D.going through
19.A.violence B.excitement C.curiosity D.anxiety
20.A.multiplies B.shares C.reflects D.decreases
Don’t use your mobile phone while charging, ______ you may be shocked by electricity.
A.or B.and C.but D.yet
— Why is the chemical plant closed?
— Because large quantities of waste water ______ into the Yangtze River.
A.has been released B.is being released
C.was released D.have been released
