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Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight. Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states. But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, "Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year." Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help. But calling them "summer school" could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like "summer camp," "enrichment," "extra time" and "hands-on learning." 1.According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap .
2.Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones .
3.Which of the following statements is true?
4.Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
5.What would be the best title of this passage?
Most American students go to traditional public schools．There are about 88, 000 public schools, all over the US．Some students attend about 3000 independent public schools called charter schools． Charter schools are self-governing．Private companies operate some charter schools．They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools．They receive tax money just as other public schools do．Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning．These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate． Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools．Local, state, or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach．Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them．Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools． The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate students．But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools．One teachers' union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools． The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government's delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress．Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in regular public schools． Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools．Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand improved student progress． 1.If a private company wants to operate a charter school, it must______．
2.Charter schools are independent because_____．
3.What's the government's attitude toward charter schools?
4.What can we learn from the text?
5.It can be interred from the text that ___.
Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences. Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded. Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice. Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.” 1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because .
2.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with according to the study.
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?
4.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
5.We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.
For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing． Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression "get cold feet" has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation． The expression "give someone the cold shoulder" probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others． A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers． "Out in the cold" means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise——he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be． 1.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage．
2.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by "_____"．
3.If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say ______．
4.We can use the expression "_____" to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy．
5.The topic of this passage is about _____．
Dash of Hope "Dash" is a symbol which represents every day we've spent alive on earth. Therefore, how you spend your "dash" is important. Recently I 36 about a little girl named Hope. After learning more about her life, I couldn't help but feel it was not by 37 , nor happenstance（意外事件）, that she had been named "Hope". The strong feeling of sympathy and generosity 38 in her young heart made a lasting impression on me and countless others. 39 I never had the opportunity to meet her, I wish I had. It seems as though she was wise beyond her tender years and very, very special. Hope was a twelve-year-old girl who was 40 a "wish" in early December 2010 by the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation after being 41 that she had a rare type of bone cancer. However, when she found out that more than 150 42 in her area were waiting for their wishes to be achieved , she unselfishly used her wish to 43 that those children have their wishes granted. She also asked that it be done 44 January 16, 2011. Unfortunately, however, the organization informed her that her 45 request could not be granted as the funds were simply 46 . They calculated that they would need to raise more than one 47 dollars in thirty days in order to grant her wish. 48 , but not discouraged, she turned her disappointment into an enthusiasm that inspired caring 49 to take up helping grant the wishes of the other children, and eventually 50 as well. Newspaper columnists and reporters for radio and TV stations 51 the story of this caring young girl who had 52 the hearts of so many and as word spread, the community was challenged. Committees were fanned and schools, corporations and various organizations assisted in 53 money to help make Hope's dream come true. Her efforts were not in vain as they continue to help others, not only 54 , but spiritually and emotionally as well. At the gathering to celebrate her life, "A Celebration of Hope" on January 16, 2011 , the 55 was made that they had indeed received donations totaling more than one million dollars. Her wish had been granted!
—Let's have a game of tennis; the loser has to treat the other to a hot dog． — .
His uncle went abroad in 2010, and _______since．
Only by seizing every possible_____ to practice can you possibly hope to improve your spoken English.
—Why do many people keep dogs as pets? —Because they are our ____ friends and they never desert their masters.
The survey ____ in our school last month shows that about three percent of the students are addicted to the Internet games.
You _____ read a book in the sun—it'll do harm to your eyes．
A fire broke out in the building at 7:30 on Tuesday morning, ____ in the death of a young girl.
—I'll call you ______ I arrive in Shenzhen． —Thanks, and good luck．
Both Class 3 and our class won't be able to finish the work unless they ___ each other.
Advertising can influence consumers' moods, ______, in turn, can influence consumers' reactions to products.
—I'm trying to find yesterday's newspaper. Have you seen it? —I'm afraid that I ______ it away. I thought you had finished reading it.
We got lost in the forest and decided to remain _____ we were and waited for rescue．
—Excuse me, what can I do for you? —Yes. I'd like to place ____ advertisement for _____ used car in your paper.
90后出生的学生，思想特殊、行为方式和价值观令人担忧。假如你是一名90后出生的学生，请根据下表中所提供信息以“Do trust us—a generation born in the 90s”为题写一篇英语演讲稿，以消除人们的忧虑。
注意： 1.对所给要点，逐一陈述，适当发挥，不要简单翻译。 2.词数150左右。开头和结尾已经写好，不计入总词数。 Good afternoon, everyone! The topic of my speech today is “Do trust us—a generation born in the 90s”. Living in an environment full of fiercer competition, we, a generation born in the 90s, are faced with more problems in entering higher schools and getting employed. _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your listening!
Cleanse, tone and moisturize: three words that everyone should keep in mind when going through their daily routines. As a society, we decide what are important habits to keep up with, such as taking care of your skin. It takes a good five minutes every morning and night to properly care for your skin, but most men and women believe that they do not have time in their busy schedule to do so. Having good skin boosts（增加）sef-confidence and improve overall health and attitude. Cleansing the face is important for women who wear make-up because it clears the face from exposure to free radicals（自由基） in the air. Toning your face is important to balance your skin’s PH level ( which needs to be between 4.5 and 5.5 ) and also to remove the impurities from water, which is full of lead. Finally, moisturizing your face hydrates（增湿）the skin. In this day and age there are more issues with free radicals that damage your skin than ever before. Smog, UVA/ UVB damage, smoke, alcohol, and more are all negative contributing factors to damaging the aging of your skin. The global community has advanced the environment into a high percentage of free radical, but we also now have the technology for the best skin care. The issue with skin care is most people feel that you only need to take action if you have a serious skin condition, such as acne(粉刺). But no matter what age and what condition your skin is in, you should actively do something to maintain it. Most skin care products today are all-natural; many of them advertise being 100 percent vegan（素食）. Ingredients（成分）that are natural for anti-aging are : DMAE, alpha lapoic acid, antioxidants, collagen booster, SPF and many more. All of these ingredients help prevent aging and sun damage while regenerating new skin cells. Aging appears fastest on your face, neck, and back of the hands and feet, which means you must apply skin care products to all areas. People need to take care of their skin, whether they have a skin condition or not. If one wants to age gracefully, one must put forth the effort on their skin.
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets. A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) advise that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears. FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive. Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006, Bur among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) says. 1.Which of the following is true according to the text?
2.What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?
3.What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test?
4.The report from NHTSA suggests that
DU Lala is the hottest career coach in the country. The fictional character in the acclaimed novel Du La La’s Promotion shows others how to take the high road to success in a multinational company. But does her story describe a real or distorted picture of work life? The answer is as complicated as office life itself. Over one million copies of the book have been sold since its release in 2007. Go Lala Go!, a movie adaptation of the novel set to hit cinemas next weekend, has stirred up even more interest in the story. The film stars Xu Jinglei and Stanley Huang, but fans seem to be more excited about seeing the story unfold on the big screen. According to a recent sina.com survey, 45 percent of the 6,810 netizens polled said they have drawn career pointers from the novel. Other office novels, such as In and Out of the Loop, Win and Lose and Drowning and Floating, seem to have been received with similar interest. “These books show me the life of white collars, and they teach me career rules and jargon that are not offered in class,” said Zhang Shanshan, a 22-year-old senior at Beijing Forestry University. Zhang says the competition, humor and office gossip in the book intrigued her. “I can’t wait to embark on my own career,” she said. The popularity of office novels does not surprise Chen Ning, a senior career consultant at Zhaopin.com. “Novels about office fights and struggles satisfy the psychological demands of an ordinary office worker,” Chen said. “The leading characters face great pressure, fierce competition and an uncertain future. This is what really happens in many readers’ daily life.” Li Ke, the author of Du Lala’s Promotion, has been stressing the significance of her fiction. “I want to provide real and useful common sense, knowledge and experience to office workers,” Li told the Qianjiang Evening News last year. Recent graduates say they have found the basic work principles highlighted in the novel to be instructive. “If these books had been published five years earlier, I might have avoided some problems,” said Xu Jun, an HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Company. “They often discuss basic office principles, which are relevant for staff working under the middle management level. They also help readers to see the importance of basic problem solving and organizational skills.” But some veteran employees warn that the novels are not always realistic. They say this is especially true of the characters. “The protagonists appear to be unbeatable,” said Hou Zhendong, an HR manager at General Electric. “Du Lala’s team leader quit in an irresponsible way; her boss is inept; and the staff around her is either stupid or overly-sophisticated. Du stands out in emergencies and makes all the right decisions. The truth is, real-life colleagues are not that polarized（截然对立）,” Hou said. “You seldom get to negotiate your salary with a big boss. And, most of the time, you make wrong decisions far more than you make correct ones.” The career principles in the books are also of limited use. “Most of the stories happen in Fortune 500 companies with a long history. Their cultures are well-established, and their rules are scientific,” Hou said. “But if you work for a small foreign company, or a local enterprise, some principles are useless.” Liu Rui, a project manager at IBM, suggests fans of these books focus on the little bits of wisdom they provide. “The novels give rookies（新手） some inspiration,” he said. “They emphasize the importance of observation, practice and self-examination. These tips are precious and universally true.” 1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
3.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday. This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fuelling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings. Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, he delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems—how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems. The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour. 1.The passage mainly deals with .
2.By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could .
3.In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.
4.What can be concluded from the passage?
Winners Club You choose to be a winner! The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account（交易账户）where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7 – that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers: ⊙ No account keeping fees! You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees! ⊙ Excellent interest rates! You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits（储蓄）without taking them out in a month. ⊙ Convenient Teenagers are busy – we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet ???You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job! ⊙ Mega magazine included Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money .There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members. The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (So we can organize that cool key card), but it is easy. We can not wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to a winner. 1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
2.The Winners Club provides magazines which ________.
3.If you want to be a member of the Club, you must ________.
4.What is the purpose of this text?
My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at ___36___. As for me, I ___37___ both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario. The last time Dad and I set sail together is really ___ 38___. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and ___39___Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the ___40___lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything ___41___well with the tiller（舵柄）in his hands. When we were in the middle of the lake, a ___ 42___ wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit ___43___. Dad was always at his best in any___44___, but at this moment he___45___. "John!___46___!" he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his hands. In my memory he could fix any___ 47___. He was the one I always___48___for strength and security. Before I could respond, a___ 49___ of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ___50___it was too late. Another huge wall of water ___ 51___the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ___52___of him. I swam to Dad ___ 53___and assisted him in climbing onto the hull（船壳）of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of ___ 54___. "It's all right, Dad. We are safe now," I comforted him. That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start___55___for my father.
The Sydney Opera house , which ________ almost 900 rooms and halls of different sizes, is our first stop in Australia. A makes up B. consists of C. connects with D. combines with
I have no idea____________ the book is __________ to your English study.
Use your head; nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as _________learned by yourself.
The church ,___________the 14th century , is still well preserved.
You’re getting too old for football. You’d better _________tennis instead.
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