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 next 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? Most are doing it because they believe more education will help them to get a better job. Some are industrial workers whose factories have 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. It’s said that in the next few years _________________.
| A．students in colleges and universities will be much older |
| B． full-time students in colleges 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 |
Judge which of the following is not true according to the above passage.
| A．It’s reported that a large number of Americans attend college or universities 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. |
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 they have |
They often get high grades” means ____________.
| A．they rise to high grades easily |
| B． they often get very good marks (分数) |
| C． they are more likely to receive a master’s or a doctor’s degree upon graduation |
| D．they often win high prize |
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. |
One is not born able to speak a language. One is born able to make a noise. I have heard babies cry in America and in China. I can't tell any difference. But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences.
I believe a common problem with Chinese students' learning English is that they were not taught to think in English. They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English. After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally. You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study. Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English? My reply is : The more English you speak, the better English you will speak. There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English. Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country.The cries of American and Chinese babies are ________.
| A．different | B．the same |
| C．not like each other | D．like each other |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．You must think in English all the time. |
| B．If you translate a sentence into Chinese, you should think about the meaning of the sentence in Chinese carefully first. |
| C．After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English language naturally. |
| D．The best way of learning English is to live in America. |
The article mainly tells us __________ .
| A．American English and Chinese |
| B．the differences between English and Chinese |
| C．the English language |
| D．how to learn English well |
A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.
Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn’t find him. The mother felt very sad and didn’t know how to face her husband.
When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said "I love you, darling."
The son was missing. If he had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (责备) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.
Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.What is the meaning of the underlined phrase "the apple of their eye”?
| A．A person who always has a sweet smile. |
| B．A person who is as pretty as an apple. |
| C．A person who is loved more than anyone else. |
| D．A person who looks like an apple. |
Why didn’t the father pick the boy up himself?
| A．He was very lazy. |
| B．He thought the mother had picked him up. |
| C．He forgot to pick him up. |
| D．He was too tired to do it. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Be careful in everything you do. |
| B．Love is the most important thing. |
| C．Learn to forgive others |
| D．Everyone can make mistakes. |
what do you think of the husband?
| A．Warm-hearted. | B．Careful. |
| C．Hard-working. | D．Broad-minded |
Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity (成熟) and sense of responsibility (责任). A familiar expression is “you can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.”. Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic (竞技的). If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.
Some people call you their friends for the wrong reason. These people are not really friends. They are superficial (表面的) only “friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there if you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the “phoney”.
True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.“So-called” friends refer to .
| A．real friends |
| B．those who want to help you |
| C．the friends who are on the surface only |
| D．the friends who are honest |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．You should tell true friends from phoneys. |
| B．True friendship is too difficult to find. |
| C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend. |
| D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens. |
The proper title for this article may be “”.
| A．Friendliness | B．What friends like |
| C．True Friends | D．So-called Friends |
READY or not, the college application season has begun. There are two main kinds of early admissions programs: Early Action and Early Decision.
Early Action is a great choice for the well-prepared student. Students apply early, and are allowed to apply under an Early Action program to as many colleges as they choose. The biggest advantage for students is that colleges let them know early – in most cases, before Jan 1. Roughly 15 percent of colleges and universities offer an Early Action option. Oct 15 is now the first deadline for many colleges and universities.This movement toward earlier deadlines is especially popular in the Southeast, with many of the large public universities leading the way. North Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia all have an Oct 15 Early Action deadline.
Early Decision is a promise that cannot be reversed. Students who are accepted must take back their other applications and should attend that school. Students are allowed to apply to just one school under an Early Decision program. Early Decision deadlines are in early November, with colleges letting students know by mid-December.Many students believe that they are more likely to be accepted if they apply for Early Decision, but it actually depends.
In some cases there is big increase in students being accepted, and at other colleges it is not that big at all. Generally, the strongest students are applying early. Athletes and students with focused interests are encouraged to apply for Early Decision
Choose the best answer:
| A．To explain the process of applying to study in the US. |
| B．To describe two types of US college early admissions programs. |
| C．To encourage students who want to study in the US to apply early. |
| D．To list the advantages of early admissions programs. |
| A．A student who is accepted as an Early Action applicant must attend the college they apply to. |
| B．The deadline for Early Action is usually two months earlier than the one for Early Decision. |
| C．Students can apply to several colleges at the same time under an Early Action program. |
| D．Students can apply for Early Action at the majority of universities and colleges in the US. |
| A．changed | B．balanced | C．accepted | D．arranged |
| A．Students are not allowed to apply for both Early Decision and Early Action at the same time. |
| B．Students applying for Early Decision impress colleges because they tend to be more active than others. |
| C．Early Decision is most fit for students who are skilled in some field. |
| D．Those applying for Early Decision have a better chance of being accepted than those applying for Early Action. |
OF course, Ms Cratty wasn’t really my aunt and, out of fear, I never called her that to her face. I only called her “My Aunt Fannie (俚语)” because the name always made my father chuckle (轻声地笑) and caused my mother to look seriously at both of us – at me for being disrespectful of my elder, and at my father for encouraging my bad behavior. I enjoyed both reactions so I looked for every opportunity to work the name into as many conversations as possible.
As a young woman, my mother had worked in the kitchen of a large farmhouse owned by Ms Cratty and her twin brother. Neither had married, and they had no children. My father once told me that it was because they were both too mean to share their family’s money or pass it on. Ms Cratty was famous for her jam and for never sharing the recipe with another one. Even though my mother knew the recipe , she never made the jam without Ms Cratty kitchen to direct the process and keep the secret.
Each August, my mother would prepare me for Aunt Fannie’s visit. One year, after I had been particularly helpful with the jam process Aunt Fannie gave me a quarter and then made me promise that I would never spend it. “Hold onto this quarter,” she said, “and someday you will be rich. I still have my very first quarter, given to me by my grandfather.” It had obviously worked for her. So, I put the quarter in my dresser drawer, and waited to become rich.
I now have the jam recipe and the quarter from Aunt Fannie. Neither has made me wealthy, but I keep them as reminders to hold onto the valuable things in life. Money can make you feel rich for a while, but it is the relationships and the memories of time spent with friends and family that truly leave you wealthy. And that is a fortune that anyone can build.
| A．Because she wanted to show respect for her. |
| B．Because she believed that made her seem closer to her. |
| C．Because she loved to see her parents’ responses to it. |
| D．Because she didn’t like her and thus made fun of her. |
| A．owned the large farmhouse with Aunt Fannie |
| B．disliked Aunt Fannie’s meanness and the way she would never share |
| C．didn’t know the exact way to make the jam |
| D．tried to make Aunt Fannie believe that the secret recipe was safe |
| A．was a reminder of the valuable things in her life |
| B．would bring her good luck and make her rich |
| C．was a small reward for her help with the jam process |
| D．was the exact one that Aunt Fannie had received from her grandfather |
| A．have a certain secret recipe |
| B．have lasting love and friendship |
| C．share our wealth with others |
| D．have good fortune and money |