In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates (应试者) for the doctor’s degree.
Generally, however, modem examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.
One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series (一系列)of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ________.
| A．workers now take examinations | B．the population has grown |
| C．there are only written exams today | D．examinations are now written and timed |
The kind of exams where students must select answers are
| A．objective | B．personal |
| C．spoken | D．written |
Modem industry must have developed ________.
| A．around the 19th century | B．before the Middle Ages |
| C．in Greece or Rome | D．machines to take tests |
It may be concluded that testing ________.
| A．should test only opinions | B．should always be written |
| C．is given only in factories | D．has changed since the Middle Ages |
Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end — with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by (滑过) outside the bus window. Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of “You Need It! Buy It Now!”?
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed — new houses, new buildings, someti
mes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly careless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a horror story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting, but you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests — even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There just no more ways to sit.The long bus rides and TV shows are alike, because .
| A．they both can offer people with thrilling stories |
| B．they both are boring |
| C．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between |
| D．they both force people to sit for a long time |
During the whole bus ride, what come to the passengers’ eyes most frequently?
| A．Some salty food on the bus. | B．The programs on TV. |
| C．Advertisements on the road. | D．Trucks on the road. |
In order to pass the middle hours of the ride, you can .
| A．read the billboards | B．have something to eat |
| C．watch TV shows | D．sleep |
The purpose of the passage is to .
| A．show how much bus rides differ from TV shows |
| B．teach us how to deal with each period of a long bus ride |
| C．persuade readers to take a long bus ride |
| D．give the author’s opinion on long bus rides |
Fatimah Bamun dropped out of Balizenda Primary School in the first grade, when her father refused to buy her pencils and paper. Only after her teachers said to him that his daughter showed unusual promise(有希望) did he change his mind. Today, Fatimah, 14, tall and slender, studies math in a dirt-floored fourth-grade classroom.
Whether she will reach the fifth grade is another matter. Fatimah is facing the realities of a school with no toilet, no water, no hope of privacy (隐私) other than the shadow of a bush, and no girlfriends with whom to share feelings. Fatimah is the only girl of the 23 students in her class. In fact, in a school of 178 students, she is one of the only three girls who have made it past the third grade.
“I have no friend in the class,” she said. “Most of my friends have dropped out to get married. So during the break, I just sit in the classroom and read.”
Her father, however, now says he is fully behind her. “The people from the government are all the time telling us to send our daughters to school, and I am listening to these people,” he said.
But in many cases, parents don’t listen. Parents think that if the girls stay home, they can help with the harvesting, fetch the water and collect the firewood. So they take them out of school.
In a region where poverty, tradition and ignorance make about 24 million girls not even have an elementary school education. There are many other barriers (障碍) that prevent girls going to school, such as the lack of school toilets and water.
The issue is not only equality. The World Bank thinks that if women in sub-Saharan Africa had equal education, land and other wealth, the region’s economy could improve greatly. There is a connection between growth in Africa and sex equality. It is of great importance but still ignored by so many people. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to _______.
| A．find the cause of Africa’s poverty |
| B．describe the poor education conditions of African girls |
| C．prove the inequality in African society |
| D．reform the present schooling systems in Africa |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Fatimah is a girl who shows signs of success for the future. |
| B．Fatimah’s father is now giving a lot of support to her. |
| C．Fatimah is the only girl who has made it past the fifth grade in her school. |
| D．Fatimah has no friends at school because they most of them have dropped out to get married. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．most African girls are treated equally in society |
| B．African governments don’t care whether girls go to school or not |
| C．most African girls would rather get married than go to school |
| D．African girls can’t enjoy equal chances for education |
A clique(小圈子,派系) is a group of friends who hang out together and act in similar ways. Cliques are common feature of the teen years. Members of a clique usually have certain things in common. For example, they might all be good students. Membership in a clique is limited. Not everyone who wants to belong can join.
Cliques can have a positive or negative influence. Because most teens have a strong need to belong, they want to feel that they fit into a group. Cliques can help them meet this need. Sometimes teens feel unsure of themselves, and they use a clique to gain approval of what they wear or how they act.
Cliques can become harmful, however, if they pressure members to behave the same way as the group that may damage their health. Cliques may discourage members from making their own decisions, giving their own opinions, or having other friends who aren’t accepted by the clique. Cliques may even pressure members to act in ways that go against their own values and beliefs, such as lying to parents or teachers. Cliques can also hurt people outside the group. For example, members might make fun of a teen who isn’t in the clique.
If you find yourself under this type of pressure from a clique, here are some actions you can take to improve your situation.
● Suggest other activities. Offer ideas that don’t involve hurting others or putting anyone at risk.
● Find new friends. If staying in the clique is becoming a negative experience, you will be better off with new friends.Why do teens want to be a member of a clique?
| A．Because it is popular with teens. |
| B．Because it meets teens’ need of belonging. |
| C．Because it is where teens can be themselves. |
| D．Because it provides an opportunity for them to be away from their parents. |
Why can cliques be harmful?
| A．Because kids in there don’t have independent thinking. |
| B．Because kids in there are not allowed to have their own opinions. |
| C．Because kids in there sometimes are pressured. |
| D．Because kids in there are forced to lie to their parents. |
What is the writer’s attitude toward the clique?
| A．He is very supportive to it. | B．He is strongly against it. |
| C．He is not against it, though he doesn’t like it. | |
| D．He is not against it. However, he has some worry about it. |
As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself. We can learn from the text that many newly married people ________.
| A．find it hard to pay for what they need |
| B．have to learn to make their own furniture |
| C．take DIY courses run by the government |
| D．seldom go to a department store to buy things |
John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ________.
| A．run a DIY shop | B．make or repair things |
| C．save time and money | D．improve the quality of life |
When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ________.
| A．keeps house and looks after his children | B．does his own car and home repairs |
| C．does extra work at night | D．makes shoes in his home |
Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when ________.
| A．he had to raise the children all by himself | B．the car repair class was not helpful |
| C．he could not possibly do two jobs | D．his car repairs cost too much |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．the Joy of DIY | B．You Can Do It Too! |
| C．Welcome to Our DIY Course! | D．Ross and Hatfield: Believers in DIY |
When Ben delivered milk to my home one morning before Christmas，he wasn’t his usual sunny self. He told me a customer had left without paying the bill，$79，nor leaving her new address. So it meant that he had to cover the loss.
“She was a pretty woman，”he said， “with six children and another on the way. She was always saying. ‘I’m going to pay you soon when my husband gets a second job.’ I believed her，but she left. Isn’t it annoying?”
“Give her the milk. Make it a Christmas present to the kids who need it.” I said.
The holidays came and went. On a sunny January morning two weeks later，Ben was rushing to deliver milk when he saw a woman running down the street，waving money. He recognized her immediately--the woman who didn’t pay her bill.
“I’m so sorry.” she said. “I really have been meaning to pay you.”
She explained that her husband had come home one night and announced he' d found cheaper apartment. He' d also got a new job. With all that happened, she' d forgotten to leave the new address. “But I've been saving,” she said. “Here's $20 toward the bill.
“That' s all right,” Ben replied. “It's been paid.”
“Paid!” she exclaimed (惊叫). “What do you mean? Who paid it?”
“I did,” Ben said,“It went to the children as a Christmas present!”Ben was upset one morning because _______.
| A．a customer left without paying the bill |
| B．he lost $ 79 on the way of the delivery |
| C．he had to buy a present for the children |
| D．he was going to lose his job |
The author helped Ben by offering him _______.
| A．a Christmas present | B．the debtor' s new address |
| C．some money to cover the loss | D．a suggestion to cheer him up |
We can probably infer from the passage that the woman _______.
| A．cheated to raise her children | B．moved to escape paying back the debts |
| C．was a person with honesty | D．wanted to give her children a Christmas gift |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．An Unhappy Christmas | B．An Unusual Present |
| C．A Poor Couple's Life | D．A Helpful Customer |