If there is no difference in general intelligence(智力)between boys and girls,what can explain girls' poor performance in science and mathematics?
It seems to be that their treatment at school is a direct cause.Mathematics and science are seen as subjects mainly for boys,and therefore ,as girls become tee
nagers,they are less likely to take them.Interestingly,both boys and girls often
regard the subjects for boys as more difficult.Yet it has been suggested that girls do not take mathematics courses ,not because they are difficult,but for social reasons.Girls do not want to be in open competition with boys because they are afraid to appear less feminine(女性的)and attractive.
However,if we examine the performance of boys and girls who have taken mathematics courses,there are still more highachieving boys than there are girls.This difference appears to be worldwide.Biological explanations have been offered for this,but there are other explanations too.
Perhaps the difference which comes out during the teenage years has its roots in much earlier experiences.From their first days in kindergarten,boys are encouraged to work on their own and to complete tasks.Facts show that outstanding(杰出的)mathematicians and scientists have not had teachers who supplied answers.
Besides,there can be little doubt that teachers of mathematics and science expect their boy students to do better at these subjects than their girl students.They even appear to encourage the difference between boys and girls.They spend more time with the boy students ,giving them more time to answer questions and working harder to get correct answers from them.They are more likely to call on boys for answers and to allow them to take the lead in classroom discussion.They also praise boys more frequently.All of this seems to encourage boys to work harder in science and mathematics and to give them confidence(信心)that they are able to succeed.
Such a way of teaching is not likely to encourage girls to take many mathematics
and science courses,nor is it likely to support girls who do.When it comes to these subjects it seems certain that school widens the difference between boys and girls.
1.Girls are likely to think that____________.
A.science courses are for both boys and girls
B.science courses make them more popular
C.science courses make them successful
D.science courses are difficult for them
2.The text mainly discusses_____________reasons for the difference between boys and girls in scientific achievements.
A.biological B.historical C.social D.personal
3.What are boys usually encouraged to do at school?
A.To get help with their homework.
B.To play the leading role in class.
C.To work with girl students in class.
D.To learn to take care of others.
4.What does the passage say about great mathematicians?
A.Their teachers did not supply answers to them.
B.They started learning mathematics at an earlier age.
C.They showed mathematical abilities in their teenage years.
D.Their success resulted from their strong interest in mathematics.
5.The author would probably agree that_____________.
A.boys and girls learn in the same way
B.boys and girls are equal in general intelligence
C.girls are more confident in themselves than before
D.girls should take fewer science courses than boys
Fading beauty
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre Museum (卢浮宫博物馆) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state (状态).
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision (视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.
During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?
| A．The painted woman is not so beautiful any more. |
| B．Ageing is something that affects us all. |
| C．The painting needs repairing. |
| D．At such an old age, she is no longer popular. |
What makes the repair work difficult?
| A．The wooden panel is thin and old. |
| B．No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting and how it might respond to treatment. |
| C．The health of the painting is suffering |
| D．Experts can’t agree on how to carry out repairs. |
What makes her smile so mysterious according to Professor Livingston?
| A．The materials the Italian artist used. | B．The way she smiles. |
| C．The way Da Vinci painted the smile. | D．It plays a trick upon the human mind. |
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for ― its stadium (露天大型运动场) and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years. Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano . Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.
In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains（喷泉）, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread ― a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A．To visit the volcano | B．To shop and eat there |
| C．To watch sports and plays | D．To watch how Pompeiians lived |
Why had so many Pompeiians remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius?
| A．The city nearby offered all kinds of fun. |
| B．The area produced the finest wine in Italy. |
| C．Few people expected the volcano to erupt again. |
| D．The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass. |
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2000 years ago?
| A．They lived more or less the same as Italians now do. |
| B．They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup. |
| C．They enjoyed a good life with drinking and eating. |
| D．They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79. |
A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of the nearly fifty men who come to apply, the man selected one and dismissed the others.
“I should like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brought not a single letter—not a recommendation (介绍信)，”
“You are wrong” said the gentleman. He had a great man. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, indicating that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to that old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions, showing that he was polite and gentlemanly.
“ All the rest stepped over the book which I had purposely put on the floor.” He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding.
When I asked to him, I noticed his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean fingernails. “ Can’t you see that these things are excellent recommendations? I consider them more significant than letters.”A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper___________
| A．in order to hire an office boy |
| B．so as to dismiss the others |
| C．in order to select one among the fifty applicants |
| D．so as to select one and dismiss the others |
The underlined word “indicating” probably means ________.
| A．that is | B．and of course | C．so | D．suggesting |
___________ was the very person the gentleman preferred.
| A．He who has a great many letters |
| B．He who had no letters |
| C．He who wiped his feet before entering the room |
| D．he who was careful, kind , polite and thoughtful |
The gentleman dismissed the other boys because_________.
| A．they didn’t pick up the book lying on the floor |
| B．they pushed and crowded |
| C．they were impolite |
| D．all the above |
According to the passage, we know that the gentleman hired the boy______.
| A．not by his letters but by his good manners |
| B．by the relationship between them |
| C．by the feelings |
| D．by his letters |
Fear plays no part in this latest problem．“I’m not afraid I’ll lose my children．I won’t lose my children. We live together, and nothing, nothing,” she repeats, her voice rising when speaking to John’s lawyer, “will stop me from being with my children. A law? Yeah, right. Don’t disturb me when it comes to my children. You are never going to win. If John wants to see them, I cannot stop him. He’s their father—I want them to see him! However, his visit in his present condition will disturb the children’s stable (稳定的) life．”
John, who has spent much of his time in California, recently, has only hired a house for himself in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. "If he’d like to stick to a regular life, I’d be more than happy to do that，" Jane says. "The best thing for any child of a divorced (离婚的) parent is a stable life. I want nothing more than for him to set up a stable life for himself, so that he can be part of making our children’s lives more stable. "
While matters of money and care won’t be settled for weeks, Jane hardly puts her life on hold. Last week the ABC network announced that Jane would return with her own show, Twist of Jane, in which she gives advice to other moms．Jane and her eight children will also return to ABC in a series of Jane Plus 8 specials showing them on various adventures．It’s a rest for Jane, who insists that she needs her new，busy life to provide for her family．“I have to lead such a life, and I’m thankful that I’ve built it to the top where now I can support my children．”she says．
And whether a bellicose(好斗的)dance judge or a bellicose former wife, Jane plans to keep on facing attacks on her. “Some people try to knock me down—only to make me more fierce，more protective，more determined to do better，”she says．“Go ahead, take me on. This will just make me stronger．”According to Jane in the first paragraph, the law
| A．can’t take her children away from her |
| B．can’t do anything with the case |
| C．will best settle the problem |
| D．will disturb her children |
What does “to do that” refer to in the second paragraph?
| A．To live with John． |
| B．To hire a house for John． |
| C．To allow John to see the children |
| D．To ask John to set up a regular life. |
What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Jane’s life is very difficult． |
| B．Jane continues to live as usual． |
| C．Jane almost can’t control her lire |
| D．Jane works very hard to live a happy life． |
Which word can best describe Jane?
| A．Proud． |
| B．Fierce． |
| C．Determined． |
| D．Independent |
Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l,200 Miles off the Somali coast，the farthest-off-shore attack to date，an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻) by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force，said a spokesman．
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”．
“Once they start attacking that far out，you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer，Roger Middleton．“Once you’re that far out, it’s just the Indian Ocean，and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia，from Asia to South Africa.”
"This is the farthest robbing to date．They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer．
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11，12，and l 4—had 77 members on board in total．All of them are Thai, the spokesman said．Before the Sunday robbing，pirates held 11 ships and 228 sailors．
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes of catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships，the success rate(率)has gone down，though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.The pirate attack reported in the text happened．
| A．far out in the Indian Ocean |
| B．in the normal patrol area |
| C．near the Somali, coast |
| D．in the south of Africa |
According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?
| A．More goods on board are lost. |
| B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now. |
| C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years. |
| D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast. |
Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?
| A．The patrols are of little effect. |
| B．The patrols are more difficult. |
| C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia. |
| D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas. |
How many sailors were held by the pirates before the time of the report?
| A．228. | B．77. | C．383. | D．305. |