Here are two letters from our readers expressing their concern about school assessment:
(1)
Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators realize that students have different interests and abilities. However, gradebased assessment(评价) is still very common.Grades often hold back creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to go in for music,drama and sports.Grades are also an unfair measure of a student’s ability. I do not demand,as some extremists do,that grades should no longer be recorded.However,I do believe that less importance should be placed on grades.I hope that someday grades will become optional(可要可不要) at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith, President,
Drama Club
(2)
Let’s face the facts about grades.Grades perform three basic functions.First,grades get students to work at their highest level of competence.Second,they act as an encouragement for hardworking students and as a warning to those who are not.Finally,grades are an effective standard by which to measure students achievement.Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university.I’ve spoken with a number of students who have jobs,and most of them say that they were hired mainly because of their grades.My grades helped me get a parttime job and will help me get into university next year.I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper, Member,
Science Club Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone who _______.
| A．insists grades should become optional in the near future |
| B．believes in the advantages of assessment based on grades |
| C．is concerned about improving students creativity |
| D．supports using students interests to measure their abilities |
Magdalena Smith thinks it is important for _______.
| A．educators to assess the students by grades |
| B．educators to pay more attention to grades |
| C．students to compete for better grades |
| D．students to take part in music, drama, and sports |
According to the letters, which of the following is true about Village High School?
| A．Grades are effective in every way. |
| B．Grades hold back students creativity. |
| C．Grades bring about unnecessary competition. |
| D．Grades are still in use at present. |
What are the two letters mainly about?
| A．The role that grades should play in assessing students. |
| B．The importance of art and music in students life. |
| C．The need to have a standard measure for students success. |
| D．The reasons why grades shouldn’t be used to assess students. |
B
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The son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India. Planning a move to Canada, his family takes a ride on an enormous ship. After a shipwreck. Pi finds himself in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a hyena（鬣狗）, an orangutan（猩猩）, and a tiger named Richard Parker. It sounds like a colorful setup. But these wild animals don’t burst into song as in the Disney cartoons. All want to survive, however, Pi finds himself the weakest one of all. After much infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat’s only passengers. Pi is left to survive for 227 days through waters with his large dangerous companion, using all his knowledge, wits and faith. |
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Five People You Meet in Heaven When a lonely and elderly man dies in an accident, he awakens in an unfamiliar place called Heaven where five people, some strangers, some loved ones, take him on a clear journey through his life. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie learns “lessons”, finds out why certain events happened in his physical life, and understands the meaning of his own life. The book explores the unexpected mysteries of the afterlife by reminding us what really matters here on earth. |
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Marley＆Me：Life and love with the world’s worst dog John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They brought home Marley, a yellow fur-ball of a dog. Life would never be the same. Marley crashed through doors, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around. However, just as he refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. He shared the couple’s joy and heartbreak. He was there whenever the couple needs help. Marley＆Me is so much more than the story of a lovable dog; it’s the story of a family. Toward the end of book, Grogan speaks of the life lessons—loyalty, courage, devotion, simplicity, joy—that Marley taught him. |
What happened to the survivors on the life boat according to the introduction?
| A．Pi managed to kill those animals and finally survived. |
| B．They worked hand in hand to get through the sea. |
| C．They had to fight against one another in order to survive. |
| D．Richard Parker killed other animals but was killed by Pi. |
Five People You Meet in Heaven tells an old man's experience in Heaven in order to reveal _________.
| A．the existence of Heaven | B．the mystery of death |
| C．human's future life | D．the true meaning of life |
Who is Grogan according to the introduction?
| A．The author of Marley＆ Me. |
| B．A friend of John and Jenny. |
| C．An expert taming dogs. |
| D．The previous owner of the dog. |
A mouse happened to look through a hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. But he was sad to discover it was a mousetrap (老鼠夹子).
Back to the farmyard, the mouse announced this warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The hen clucked (咯咯地叫) and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a great concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
Then the mouse turned to the pig. The pig sympathized, but said, “I am very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
Then the mouse turned to the cow and repeated the same words. The cow said, “Moo, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and sadly faced the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a poisonous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home, she still had a fever.
Everyone knows fresh chicken soup is good to treat a fever. So the farmer took his knife to the farmyard. The hen was killed.
But his wife’s sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well but died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow killed to provide enough meat for all of them for the lunch.
The mouse looked on it all from his hole in the wall with great sadness.What did the mouse do when it returned to the farmyard?
| A．It warned its neighbors of the danger. |
| B．It argued with its neighbors loudly. |
| C．It had a warm talk with its friends. |
| D．It tried hard to cheer its friends. |
Which of the following is mentioned in the story?
| A．The farmer was bitten by a snake. |
| B．The neighbors came for chicken soup. |
| C．The pig expressed its sympathy for the mouse. |
| D．The hen was sure that it’ll be bothered by mousetrap. |
Which of the following can best express the moral of the story?
| A．Out of sight, out of mind. |
| B．Mind works faster in time of danger. |
| C．Never put your nose into others’ business. |
| D．We should pull together in time of trouble. |
How does the author develop the passage?
| A．By argument. | B．By time. |
| C．By discussion. | D．By space. |
Do Algebra (代数) problems 15 through 25. Give the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read page 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and when you have finished that, don’t forget to fill the missing chemical symbols on the Periodic Table of Elements worksheet.
Homework is a major part of going to class, and it helps students grasp important concepts. Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less painful.
First, be sure you understand the assignment. Write it down in your notebook or day planner if you need to, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about what is expected. It is much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later at night!
Second, use any extra time you have in school to work on your homework. Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study or get homework done. It is attractive to hang out with friends during study periods or unscheduled time, but the more work you can get done in school, the less you will have to do at night.
Third, pace yourself. If you don’t finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it is a heavy-homework day and it seems like you have got an assignment on every subject but gym and lunch, you will need to devote more time to homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.The first paragraph is probably _______.
| A．examination items | B．a list of homework. |
| C．some teacher tasks | D．some learning methods |
What is the author’s attitude towards homework’s effect on students?
| A．Opposing. | B．Impatient. |
| C．Approving. | D．Concerned. |
One way to reduce your burden of homework at night is to _____.
| A．take part in studying teams |
| B．appeal for teachers’ aid at any time |
| C．focus full attention on teachers’ lecture |
| D．make full use of the time at school |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Why students should do homework |
| B．How to make homework less work |
| C．It is high time teachers gave less homework |
| D．Who is to blame for children’s poor eyesight |
Iceland is experiencing a book boom（繁荣时期）.
It is hard to avoid writers in Reykjavik. There is a phrase in Icelandic, “ad ganga med bok I maganum”, meaning everyone gives birth to a book. Literally, everyone “has a book in their stomach”. One in 10 Icelanders will publish one.
“Does it get rather competitive?” I ask the young novelist, Kristin Eirikskdottir. “Yes. Especially as I live with my mother and partner, who are also full-time writers. But we try to publish in alternate years so we do not compete too much.”
“Writers are respected here,” Agla Magnusdottir tells me. “They live well. Some even get a salary.” Magnusdottir is head of the new Icelandic Literature Centre, which offers state support for literature and its translation. “They write everything --- modern sagas(长篇英雄故事), poetry, children's books, literary and extraordinary fiction --- but the biggest boom is in crime writing,” she says.
So what has led to this phenomenal book boom? I would say it is due to a crop of good writers, telling interesting tales with elegant economy and fantastic characters.
Iceland's black lava(火山岩) riverbeds, its steaming, bubbling earth, with its towering volcanoes and fairytale streams also make it the perfect setting for stories. Solvi Bjorn Siggurdsson, an Icelandic novelist, says writers owe a lot to the past. “We are a nation of storytellers. When it was dark and cold we had nothing else to do,” he says. “Thanks to the poetic works and medieval（中世纪的） sagas, we have always been surrounded by stories. After independence from Denmark in 1944, literature helped define our identity.”
Siggurdsson shows respect to Iceland's Nobel Literature winner, Halldor Laxness, whose books are sold in petrol stations and tourist centres across the island. Locals name their cats after Laxness and pay a visit to his home. “When Laxness won the Nobel Prize in 1955 he put modern Icelandic literature on the map,” Siggurdsson tells me. “He gave us confidence to write.”The underlined phrase in the passage suggests that ________.
| A．Icelanders love collecting books. |
| B．Icelanders love writing very much. |
| C．there are a lot of great books in Iceland. |
| D．it is competitive to publish a book in Iceland. |
What kind of book is the most popular in Iceland?
| A．Poetry. | B．Medieval sagas. |
| C．Crime novels. | D．Children’s stories. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?.
| A．Siggurdsson won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. |
| B．Icelanders publish books to increase their income. |
| C．Writers in Iceland don’t benefit from its literary tradition. |
| D．Iceland possesses some factors to be a perfect setting for stories. |
An American research company shows that $248.7 billion online sales are expected by 2014. It seems as if we can’t get enough of spending money through countless online clicks today. Following are some of the incredible things that you can buy online!
1) Parents
51-year-old Michael Amatrudo from Connecticut put a posting on Craig list in 2009 to sell his elderly parents, asking for $155 in return.
2) Chewing Gum
Bidding for Britney Spears’ chewing gum reached $14,000 in 2004. The pop star’s half-eaten sandwich also went for over $500.
3) Kidney Stone
Star Trek actor William Shatner sold his kidney stone for $20,000 when he put it up for sale online to see how much a piece of him was worth. He ended up giving the money to charity.
4) An Imaginary Friend
This imaginary guy went (or might still be going) by the name of Jon Malipieman and was sold on eBay for $3,000 by a man who claimed:
“My imaginary friend Jon Malipieman is getting too old for me now. I am now 27 and I feel I am growing out of him. He is very friendly. Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes, his favorite things to do and his personal self portrait.”
5) Souls
The website demonical.com is probably the creepiest site I have ever visited. You can sell your own soul or buy the souls of people such as Fidel Castro and Woody Allen (both selling for $950). Bill Gate, whoever that is, has his soul for sale at $1,300 while Michael Jacobsen’s soul is being sold for $3000.
6) A Rock That Looks Like Meat
The screen shot from eBay tells us that people are bidding over $1 million for this “naturally formed bbq pork rock”. Absolute madness.What is the author’s purpose for writing the passage?
| A．To introduce some unbelievable things online. |
| B．To call on customers to resist the products. |
| C．To attract readers to visit the related websites. |
| D．To encourage readers to buy the things online. |
Which is probably sold at the highest price according to the passage?
| A．Chewing Gum. | B．Kidney Stone. |
| C．An Imaginary Friend. | D．A Rock That Looks Like Meat. |
According to the text, _____ is most likely to have starred in a film.
| A．Britney Spears | B．William Shatner |
| C．Jon Malipieman | D．Fidel Castro |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Michael Amatrudo charged a high price for selling his elderly parents. |
| B．William Shatner sold the kidney stone so as to donate the money to charity. |
| C．Jon Malipieman was sold because he was not wanted any longer. |
| D．The soul of Michael Jacobsen is worth more than that of Woody Allen. |