“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” says education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble. What did the company where Drew once worked learn from its mistake?
| A．They should encourage people to work a longer time. |
| B．People should be discouraged to think freely. |
| C．People will do better if they spend most of their work time developing new ideas. |
| D．It is necessary for people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas. |
According to the passage, creativity is ________.
| A．something that most people are born with |
| B．something that depends mainly on intelligence |
| C．a way of using what one has learned to work out new problems |
| D．something that is not important to the character of a person at all |
Why do schools tend to fail to encourage creativity?
| A．They give children too many choices. |
| B．They are not strict enough with children. |
| C．They care too much about examination marks. |
| D．They don’t understand the importance of education. |
Which of the following skills is the most important in developing creativity?
| A．Reading. | B．Writing. | C．Mathematical skill. | D．Decision-making. |
(C)
Driving a car at high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish.
But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of a London, from the smallest lane to the most popular bar around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times.
A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.
During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (点心). He said. "I never drink when I'm working ---- I would lose my licence."
He normally goes home between 2 and 3 O'clock in the night, There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, "That's the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don't make the money, no one is going to give it to you."
London taxi drivers not only ‘take' but also ‘give' , Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea--- by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these fares all go to the ‘London Taxi Fund for Underprivileged Children.' At the sea. they are met by the mayor, and a lunch party is also held in honour of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the market, the children go home again-- by taxi, and free of charge, of course!
62. To be a London driver is not easy because ______.
A. he has to follow the bright traffic signs
B. he has to have good driving skills and know all the places in the city
C. he has to serve all kinds of passengers at all times
D. both B. and C
63. The London taxi drivers _______.
A. work hard because on one would give them money for doing nothing
B. never stop driving in the city
C. only work between 2 and 3 o'clock in the night
D. are very rich
64. The author of the passage says that _______.
A. the taxi driver works longer than is necessary
B. the more runs the taxi driver makes, the more he gets
C. the taxi driver doesn't like to work for others
D. the taxi drivers in the city go to the seaside to attend a party every year.
65. London taxi driver _______.
A. take money because they have to pay for the children's ride
B. go to the sea for a day in the summer
C. pay the fares for the poor children to the sea for a day once every year
D. give the poor children a free ride for a day at the sea once every year
66. The underlined words Underprivileged Children mean children _______.
A. of low income families B. who like to travel in taxi
C. who wish to go to sea but have no money D. from London
(B)
Now I'd like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the mid-term exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essay. You'll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive, which means you'll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your mid-term exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project will count as 20 percent and the mid-term exam 30 percent. I'll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I'll see you on Tuesday.
59. . What will be included in the exam?
A. There will be only multiple-choice questions.
B. The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions.
C. The exam will have an oral and a written section.
D. Therewill be only essay questions.
60.Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
A. It will be easy to understand.
B. Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class.
C. It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects.
D. Students must complete all parts of it.
61. When was this talk most likely given?
A. During the first week of class B. During mid-term week
C. On the last day of class D. On the last day of exam week
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。
(A)
The basenji is a central African hunting dog. It comes from a country called Chad, which is north of the Central African Republic. The basenji was well—known as the "silent dog" because for centuries no basenjis has ever been known to bark . Then at a dog show in London in 1953, a basenji actually barked.
As well as being clever, basenjis are known for their natural courage and are still popular hunting dogs in Africa. But in America people keep them mainly because they are gentle and full of fun. The basenji has an unusual habit, it washes itself all over like a cat. It is a middle—sized dog, 16 or 17 inches high from the shoulder. It weighs about 20 pounds. A basenji's coat is short and silky. It may be brown, white, or gold , or a mixture of these three colours.
56. Basenjis were first found.
A. in Africa, Europe and America B. in both Africa and America
C. in central Africa D. in North Africa
57. What made Basenjis so special?
A. They were funny enough to make people laugh.
B. One of them barked at a dog show in London.
C. They were a true friend of man.
D. They were born quiet dogs.
58. In what way are basenjis like cats?
A. They make gentle sounds instead of barking.
B. They are fond of people and look like cats.
C. They clean themselves all over.
D. They have short, silky fur.
When we hear the words “college students”, we usually think of a young person between 18 and 22 years old. But in the U.S.A today, a college student often is much older. In fact, educators say in the nest few years colleges and universities may have more older part-time students than traditional (传统的) full time younger students.
Educators report a big increase in the number of Americans who attend college and university classes in the evening or at night or weekends. Most of them are older than 25 years old and more have full- time or part- time jobs. Many are in their thirties or forties.
Why are so many people deciding to spend their time and money in order to continue their education? Many are doing it because they believe more education will help them to get a better job. Some are industrial workers whose factories are closed. They are learning new skills to prepare for other kinds of work. Some of the part-time students are not pleased with the jobs they have. They are studying for new ones. Some have retired(退休) and are looking for new kinds of work. Two of every three of the students older than 35 are women. Many of them are returning to school after years of staying at home to care for children.
Are older students good students? Most teachers say yes. They say older students really want to learn. They ask difficult questions and are not pleased with simple answers. They often get high grades.
71. It’s said that in the next few years _________.
A. students in college and universities will be much older.
B. full-time students in college and universities will be even younger.
C. American colleges and universities will take in part-time students equally.
D. the number of older students will be greater than that of the younger ones.
72. Judge which of the following is not true according to the above passage.
A. It’s reported that a large number of American
s attend college or university classes in their spare time.
B. Most of them are over 25.
C. Most of them are without jobs.
D. The number of students in colleges and universities is reported to have gone up greatly.
73. Why are so many people deciding to go on with their education? Because________.
A. most of the Americans enjoy learning something new.
B. most of them believe: more education, better jobs.
C. they have lost their jobs.
D. they are tired of their jobs.
74. “ They often get high grades” means__________.
A. they rise to high grades easily.
B. they often get very good marks.
C. they are more likely to receive a master’s or a doctor’s degree upon graduation.
D. they often win high prize.
75. What does the whole passage mainly tell us?
A. Why does so many older students go to college in America.
B. What older students in college can learn.
C. Older students are mostly good students.
D. Higher education can help you get a good job.
In America, when people say “man’s best friend”, they don’t mean another person. Instead, they are talking about a lovely animal：A dog! These words show the friendship between people and animals. Dogs and other pets can give happiness to people’s lives. Some people think of their pets as their children. A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!
Animals can help people, too. Dogs can be taught to become the “eyes” for a blind person or “ears” for a deaf people. Scientists have found that pets help people live longer! They make people happier, too. Because of that, animals are brought into hospitals for “visit”.
Americans hold “Be---Kind-to-Animals Week” in the first week of May.
Pets shows are held during the week. Even if you don’t live in America, you, too, can do this. How? First, think about how animals make your life richer. If you have a pet, take more time this week to play with it. Remember to give it delicious food. Also, be sure to keep your pet from those unwanted babies.
If you don’t have a pet, be kind to animals around you. For example, if you see a street dog, don’t kick it or throw things at it. Instead, just leave it alone, or better yet, make friends with it. If others around you do bad things to an animal, try to stop them. As people, we must protect animals who can’t speak for themselves.
66. “A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!”means
that__________
A. pets have the right to inherit (继承) money.
B. money can give pets happiness
C. it’s the best way to spend money.
D. some pets are taken as children.
67. Why are dogs brought to hospitals?
A. Because they are ill and need to see doctors.
B. Because they can make the patients happier.
C. Because they can find out the problems of the patients.
D. Because doctors can do experiments on them
.
68. What’s the most popular activity in the “Be-Kind-to-Animals Week”?
A. Holding a pet show in the week.
B. Playing with pets the whole week.
C. Cooking delicious food for pets.
D. Making friends with other people’s pets.
69. What’s the passage mainly about?
A. A lot of people are interested in dogs.
B. Dogs can help people do many things.
C. Pets are lovely and need care and protection.
D. 
We have done a lot of things for pets.
70. The words“ man’s best friends”shows____________.
A. the friendship between people.
B. the friendship between people and animals.
C. the friendship between animals.
D. the friendship between men and women