C
Poorer children would be offered the chance to attend lessons on Saturday to help catch up with their middleclass peers (同龄人), the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today.The Conservatives would give English state schools the freedom to choose to have longer teaching hours and extra classes at the weekend, he told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’annual conference.
Gove said the move would help to close the achievement gap with richer children whose parents could afford extras such as tutoring and music lessons.
He told delegates (代表) in Manchester: “For children who come from homes where parents don’t have the resources to provide additional stretch and cultural experiences, there are benefits in having those children in the learning environment, in school, for longer.”
“Parents would love to have schools starting earlier in some circumstances, and certainly going on later in the afternoon, given the reality of their working lives,” he said. He held up the example of Kipp (Knowledge is Power Program) schools in the US, which are often based in the poorest communities and open from 7:30 am to 5pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays.
But it would be up to schools to decide to offer longer hours, Gove added.
Parents said Saturday classes could become a “badge of dishonor”if pupils were forced to go, while teachers raised concerns about their workload.
Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, said: “I think the suggestion the government made about one-to-one teaching for these kids would be a more preferable way of improving these children’s performance. I’m just not sure whether taking away a child at weekends is actually going to make them cleverer in the week.”
The ATL’s general secretary, Mary Bousted, said: “If we want Saturday schools, then we need more teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer.”
66. The program is intended for children____________.
A. who are from middle-class families B. whose parents can’t afford extra help
C. who perform poorly academically D. whose weekends are mostly unoccupied
67. “Additional stretch” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to_________.
A. music lessons B. physical relaxation
C. entertainment activities D. out-of-school improvement
68. Why did Gove mention Kipp schools in the US?
A. To make a comparison. B. To introduce a new program.
C. To seek supportive evidence. D. To prove his program is better.
69. What is Margaret Morrissey’s opinion about the new program?
A. Favourable. B. Doubtful. C. Optimistic. D. Acceptable.
70. Which of the following is true?
A. Teachers may not like the program. B. Schools are trying to make profits.
C. The program is already under way. D. The program is popular with children.
Outdoor air pollution is an obvious danger because it’s hard to miss.Auto gases, industrial waste, city smog—everyone knows they’re a health hazard(危险) and a call for solutions is on everyone’s lips.But there’s another threat just as perilous— a hidden threat(威胁) we are usually unaware of.We’re speaking about the threat of indoor air pollution.
The dangers caused by indoor air pollution are too often underestimated(低估) and overlooked.According to a recent study, indoor air pollution can be many times higher than outdoor air pollution.A similar study by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that, in general, the air in our homes and offices is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.
Scientific studies have found that indoor air pollution exacerbates(恶化) the symptoms of asthma(哮喘), and contributes to causing nausea(恶心), headaches and damage to the central nervous system.Evidence has even been found linking poor indoor air quality to certain cancers.Children who spend eighty percent of their time inside are particularly affected by indoor air pollution.
Cigarette smoke, chemical fertilizers(肥料), perfumes and clothing that has been dry-cleaned may contribute to indoor air pollution.Building materials—including paint and glue—are also contributors.
And homes aren’t the only indoor areas affected by this danger.Offices are affected too—sometimes more so—with their copy machines and printers, inks and processing solutions (显影液)and so on.
Fortunately there are many ways to reduce indoor air pollution and improve indoor air quality in your home and office.A major first step would be the use of an air purifier(净化器).What does the underlined word “perilous” mean?
| A．Nervous. | B．Similar. | C．Obvious. | D．Dangerous. |
The author mentions some studies in Paragraph 2 to show indoor air pollution__________.
| A．is recently overestimated |
| B．is very common and serious |
| C．has drawn people’s attention |
| D．is linked to many serious diseases |
Which of the following is the usual contributor of air pollution in our homes?
| A．Smoking. | B．Printing. |
| C．Copy machines. | D．Processing solutions. |
7.What would be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．An introduction to the air purifier. |
| B．Other dangers of indoor air pollution. |
| C．Other sources of indoor air pollution. |
| D．More solutions to the problem of air pollution. |
A mother, who wished to encourage her son’s progress in playing the piano, bought tickets for a performance by the great Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski.When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the impressive Steinway waiting on the stage.Not long after they arrived, the mother came across a friend in the hall and they began to talk with each other.Meanwhile the boy slipped away and could be found nowhere.
At eight o’clock, the lights in the concert hall began to fail, and then the spotlights(聚光灯) came on.Only then did they notice the boy who was up on the piano bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.Seeing this, his mother was shocked and embarrassed.But before she could bring her son back, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard.
He whispered gently to the boy, “Don’t quit.Keep playing.” Learning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass(低音的) part.Soon his right arm reached around the other side and performed a delightful accompaniment(伴奏).Together, the old master and the young boy performed so wonderfully and harmoniously on the stage and they held the attention of the crowd with their beautiful music.
In all our lives, we receive helping hands from time to time—some we notice; some we don’t.Equally we ourselves have countless opportunities to offer helping hands—sometimes we want our assistance to be noticed, sometimes we don’t.Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without support from others.We are supposed to hand out what we have received.We can learn from the text that the mother___________.
| A．was pleased to see her son playing the piano on the stage |
| B．admired the master so much that she went to watch his performance |
| C．encouraged her son to play the piano on the stage |
| D．was talking with a friend when her son slipped onto the stage |
Seeing the boy playing the piano, the great master___________.
| A．felt very shocked and angry |
| B．encouraged him to continue |
| C．asked his mother to take him away |
| D．shouted at the boy |
The author wrote this text in order to__________.
| A．show how patient the great master was |
| B．tell the readers a very interesting story |
| C．report an incident in a concert hall |
| D．urge us to reach out to those in need |
Until last spring, Nia Parker and the other kids in her neighborhood went to school on Bus 59.But as fuel prices rose, the school district needed to find a way to cut its transportation costs.So the school’s busing company redrew its route map, canceling Nia’s bus.Now Nia and her neighbors travel the half mile to school via a “walking school bus”—a group of kids, supervised (监护) by an adult or two, who make the walk together.
Many parents are delighted to see their kids walking to school, partly because many did so themselves.According to a 1979 survey, nearly half of school kids walked or biked to school, compared with only 16 percent in 2011.Modern parents have been unwilling to let kids walk to school for fear of traffic, crime or simple bullying, but with organized adult supervision, those concerns have reduced.
Schools and busing companies are finding other ways to save.In rural areas where busing is a must, some schools have even chosen four-day school weeks.Busing companies instruct drivers to cancel extra stops from routes and to turn off the engine while idling(挂空挡).They are also using computer software to determine the most fuel-efficient routes, which aren’t always the shortest ones.
There could be disadvantages, however, to the busing cutbacks（削减）.If every formerly bused student begins walking to school, it’s an environmental win—but if too many of their parents decide to drive them instead, the carbon footprint can grow.Replacing buses with many more parent-driven cars can also increase safety risks.A 2011 report concluded students are 13 times safer on a school bus than in a passenger car, since buses have fewer accidents and with stand them better due to their size.And some students complain about the long morning hikes, particularly when the route contains a really big hill. In regards to walking to school, modern parents seem much concerned with the _____.
| A．safety of their kids |
| B．kids’ physical strength |
| C．time spent on the way |
| D．changes in the route |
To save money, some schools choose to _____.
| A．shorten the school week |
| B．take the shortest routes |
| C．stop using school buses |
| D．use fuel-efficient buses |
Busing cutbacks may lead to _____.
| A．fewer complaints about long morning hikes |
| B．more students taking public transportation |
| C．an increase in carbon dioxide emissions |
| D．a decrease in the safety of school buses |
Born in America in 1898, William was an extraordinary boy, gifted with an amazing IQ between 250 and 300.The genius went to a grammar school when he was only 6 years old and graduated just within 7 months.At the age of 11, he became the youngest student of the Harvard University.He graduated with high scores at the age of 16 and entered Harvard Law School at 18.
Gifted with an amazing IQ between 220 and 230, Terence Tao makes it to this list of the people with the highest IQ in the world.Born in Adelaide, Australia in 1975, this genius first displayed his incredible intelligence at a mere age of 2, when he managed to solve basic arithmetic questions on his own.At the age of 16, he graduated with both Master' s and Bachelor' s degrees at the Flinders University.He has been considered as '' Mr.Fix it " by Charles Fefferman, who is a professor of Mathematics at Princeton University, and many other mathematicians want to interest him in their problems.
This 31-year-old Japanese-American astrophysicist lands him third in this list.At the age of 12, Christopher Hirata already worked on college-level courses, around the time most of us were just in the 7th grade.At the age of 13, this gifted kid became the youngest American to have ever won the gold medal in the International physics Olympiad.
At the age of 16, he was already working with NASA on its project to conquer planet Mars.After he was awarded the Ph.D.at Princeton University, he went back to California Institute of Technology.
The next person with very high IQ is Albert Einstein.With an IQ between 160 and 190, Albert Einstein is the genius behind the theory of relativity, which has had great impact on the world of science.He possessed such an amazing ability that after his death, researchers were eager to preserve and make research on his brain in search for clues to his exceptional brilliance, which to this day, has remained a mystery.About William, which of the following is true?
| A．His IQ reached between 220 and 230. |
| B．At the age of 16, he graduated from a grammar school. |
| C．At the age of 6, he graduated with both Master' s and Bachelor' s degrees. |
| D．At the age of 11, he became the youngest student at the Harvard University.[ |
How many people with remarkable IQ are mentioned in the passage?
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
Who once worked on the project to conquer planet Mars?
| A．William |
| B．Terence Tao |
| C．Christopher Hirata |
| D．Albert Einstein |
From the passage we can know that______.
| A．when William graduated from the Harvard Law School, he got the highest scores |
| B．at the age of 2, Terence solved basic arithmetic questions on his own |
| C．Christopher Hirata is a Japanese |
| D．researchers have found out why Albert Einstein was so brilliant |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．The most gifted college students in the world. |
| B．The most famous people in the world. |
| C．People with the highest IQ ever recorded. |
| D．The most famous inventors. |
Since we started offering China private tour packages（包价游）on North-America market in 2006, CTSI has enjoyed great reputation.
Whether you design your tour route or choose one of our pre-designed packages, we will be able to provide a private tour for you.You will be served by professional bilingual (双语的) personal guide, experienced bus driver and private air-conditioned van.
Features
Group organizer travels free, and even the Chinese visa is free.
If you organize a group of 15 people or more with the same route, we will offer you, the organizer, a free trip, regardless of whether you design your own route or choose one of our tour packages.This is our way of showing gratitude to you as a tour organizer.We even give you a free Chinese Visa.Is that amazing?
As an organizer, your main job is to find tour members.Once the tour route and travel arrangements are confirmed, your task as an organizer is completed and you get ready to enjoy the free trip.
Pick your favorite Airlines
Airfares are a big determining factor of the tour price.CTSI, with strong ties with almost all the airlines that fly between North America and Asia, offers the best price on flight tickets to China and meets various needs of customers.
If you are seeking low-priced tickets to China, you can choose a flight with a layover(停留)，such as Korean Air, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific.
Chinese Airlines usually offer huge discount on China domestic flights if you purchase both the international and China domestic parts together.
If you wish to save on flying time, we would recommend direct flight provided by America Airlines and United Airlines.
Flexibility
Sightseeing Spots: you can change or cancel, even add some sightseeing spots when you are on the tour.
Timing: you set up the departure and return time of the day, as well as the sightseeing time in specific sightseeing spots.
Trip cancellation: some member may cancel the trip in last minute, and huge fines may occur.Do not worry, if you can find someone to replace you, we save you more than 80% of the fines.What should one do if he wants to enjoy a free trip?
| A．He should design his own route. |
| B．He should book the tickets in advance. |
| C．He should accompany the tourists on their travels. |
| D．He should organize at least 15 tourists with the same route. |
Which of the following can’t you be served during your trip, if you choose a tour of CTSI’s tour package?
| A．Free visa. |
| B．Comfortable van. |
| C．Bilingual personal guide. |
| D．Flexible time and sightseeing spots. |
You will spend less time on the flight if you choose _________.
| A．Cathay Pacific | B．Chinese Airlines |
| C．United Airlines | D．Korean Air |
What will happen when someone cancels his trip in the last minute?
| A．He must choose another tour. |
| B．He will afford over 80% of the fines. |
| C．He will have no chances to travel again. |
| D．He will be fined only a little if he can find a replacement. |