China is having such a huge influence on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn the Chinese language in a bid to keep competitive.
"Interest in learning Chinese am
ong American youth and their parents has grown quickly in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society. China's quick rise to near-superpower and its effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the American's interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language.
"The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that it is now important for all of our students to be better prepared," said Michael Levine, Asia Society's executive director of education. A survey found that 2,400 high students—an unbelievable high number—would be interested in offering the Advanced Placement(AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses become available in 2006.
China, the worl
d's most populous nation, is important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the world. It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and could become the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, in the next two to three decades.
Even though the US State Department has described the Chinese language "critical" to national prosperity and security, "the current facilities to support recruitment (招募)of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is terribly not enough," an Asia Society study says. The Society has set an aim of having at least five percent of American high school students learning
Chinese by 2015.
"Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco-based Chinese American International School. The most popular languages after English in US schools at present are Spanish and French while Japanese is the most popular Asian language.
53. The underlined word blossoming (Para. 3) means _________.
A. developed B. developing C. old D. weak
54. Why do more and more Americans begin to learn the Chinese language?
A. To keep competitive. B. To gain advantage in trade.
C. Because they are always interested in it. D. To
be a bridge between the two big countries.
55. What problem is the US faced with when it comes to learning Chinese?
A. Too many Chinese are learning English.
B. N
ot many people want to learn foreign languages.
C. The language is rather difficult compared with English.
D. A lack in current facilities to support recruitment of students 
and teachers and programs.
56. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Danger from China B. Foreign Language Learning
C. The Chinese Language gets More Popular D. Difficulties in Learning the Chinese Language
It was the summer of 1936．The Olympic Games were being held in Berlin．I had trained, sweated and disciplined myself for 6 years on the running broad jump．A year before, as a college student at the Ohio State, I'd set the world's record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches．Nearly everyone expected me to win．
I was in for a surprise．When the time came for the broad-jump trials(选拔赛), I was shocked to see a tall boy hitting the pit （坑） at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps．He turned out to be a German named Luz Long．He had easily qualified for the finals on his first attempt．
A nervous athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes．I fouled （犯规）twice on my qualifying jumps．Walking a few yards from the pit, I kicked at the dirt disgustedly．Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder．I turned to look into the friendly blue eyes of Luz Long．"Hi, I'm Luz Long．I don't think we've met．" "Glad to meet you," I said．Then, trying to hide my nervousness, I added, "How are you?" "I'm fine．Something must be eating you．You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed．" He said．
He seemed to understand my nervousness, and took pains to reassure me．Finally, seeing that I had calmed down somewhat, he said, "What does it matter if you're not the first in the trials? Tomorrow is what counts．" All the tension left my body as the truth of what he said hit me．Confidently I qualified with almost a foot to spare．
Luz broke his own record and pushed me on to a peak performance．The instant I landed from my final jump—the one which set the Olympic record of 26 feet 5 1/16 inches—he was at my side, congratulating me．The author said "I was in for a surprise" because he _____．
| A．beat Luz Long | B．met a great competitor |
| C．qualified for the final | D．joined in the Olympic Games |
What can we learn about the author from the passage?
| A．He remained confident in the Olympic Games． |
| B．He had qualified for the finals on his first attempt． |
| C．He broke the world record of the running broad jump． |
| D．He had prepared for Berlin Olympics in Ohio State． |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A memorable experience in the Olympics． |
| B．A reliable man in the Olympic Games． |
| C．A surprising result in the Olympic Games． |
| D．A good suggestion on how to win in the Olympics |
Almost everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our 16_ , intelligence and attention. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us 17_ the day.
18 __, a new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are 19___ to how smart humans can get.
Each of our body parts develops in a certain way for a reason. 20 _, we are not 3 meters tall 21 _ most people’s hearts are not strong enough to send 22 _ up that high. Scientists say that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby’s brain size is limited by a series of __23 , such as the size of the mother’s pelvis (骨盆). If our brains developed to be bigger, there could be more 24 during childbirth.
The study of Jews, who have an average IQ much _ 25_ than other Europeans, showed they were more _26_ to develop diseases of the _27_ system. This might be because of their increased brainpower.
If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at _ 28 _ ? Not really, say scientists. They studied _29_ like caffeine (咖啡因)that improve attention. They found the drugs only helped people with serious 30 _ problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the 31 _ effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is a(n) 32 limit to how much people can or should concentrate.
Our memory is also a “double-edged sword”. People with extremely good memories could 33__ having a difficult life because they cannot _34 bad things that happen to them.
Thomas Hills, one of the authors of the paper, said that 35 all the problems in trying to get smarter, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a “super mind”.
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For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship(实习). In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far between.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized （批评）education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.
However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row. “The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．The lack of career-based courses in US high schools. |
| B．Tips on finding jobs for high school leavers. |
| C．Arguments about recent US education reform. |
| D．Advice for American high school leavers. |
According to Robert Schwartz, _________.
| A．there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US |
| B．students should get contact with the working world at high school |
| C．education reform should focus on students’ performance in exams |
| D．teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience |
The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 6 most probably means __________.
| A．creative | B．interesting | C．discouraging | D．unbearable |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．High school leavers with no practical skills can’t find a job at all. |
| B．Students with career-based courses never have problems finding a job. |
| C．US companies work with schools to prepare young people for future employment. |
| D．Unemployment rates for US teenagers remain high at the moment. |
Here is your best chance to travel around the UK in 2012: More than 200 B&Bs（bed & breakfast）across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are selected to offer you amazing services for your stay at their lowest prices! Don’t miss it. Just collect the vouchers（活动券）in our B&B Daily printed from 01/04/2012 to 07/04/2012 and book the stays for your travel following the terms and conditions below:
The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.
The offer is of two kinds: ￡20 per room, valid（有效的）during stay period of 02/04/2012—31/05/2012 and then again 01/09/2012—31/10/2012；￡35 per room, per night, valid during stay period of 01/06/2012—31/08/2012.
The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.
The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/04/2012.
Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.
If voucher holders book either the ￡20 or ￡35 per room per night, any additional services such as lunch, evening meal or activities may require an extra charge. But these are not required in order to take up the offer. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.
Vouchers must be presented on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the B&Bs may reserve（保留）the right to charge at full price for every night of stay.
Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.
The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Additional ￡10 may be paid to confirm（确认）the booking and will be returned on arrival.
The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders’ bookings for people under the age of 18.How much should be paid for a two-night stay in October 2012 at a chosen B&B?
| A．￡30 | B．￡35 | C．￡40 | D．￡70 |
What right do the B&Bs reserve?
| A．To charge extra ￡10 for bookings with no vouchers. |
| B．To charge at full price for stays not confirmed. |
| C．To request extra charges as tips. |
| D．To refuse bookings for guest under the age of 18. |
By taking up the offer, the voucher holders can choose to ______ .
| A．have lunch or evening meal without paying extra money |
| B．book either a basic twin or double room at the chosen B&Bs |
| C．use the B&B offer together with other offers |
| D．book the stays through B&B Daily |
A new United Nations report shows that fish farming may soon be the world’s most important provider of fish. The Food and Agriculture Organization says fish farming is growing at a rate of 6.6 percent a year.
Fish farming now produces forty-six percent of the world’s supply of fish. That represents a forty-three percent increase from 2006. The report also said fish farming earned more money in 2008 than traditional fisheries.
In fish farming, fish are raised in tanks or small bodies of water called ponds. They are also raised in cages or nets in oceans, lakes and rivers. The report says increased fish farming has helped people around the world eat record amounts of fish. The FAO says each person ate an average of almost seventeen kilograms of fish last year.
However, the FAO says the current yearly wild-fish harvest of ninety million tons shows no improvement. Decreasing numbers of fish and stronger catch limits have reduced the possibilities for catching wild fish. The FAO report says about thirty-two percent of world supplies are overfished. It says these supplies of fish need to be rebuilt at once.
Some scientists have criticized fish farming. They say the nets and cages permit fish diseases and pests to spread. Some fish farming critics doubt whether fish farming can keep growing at the current rate. But Wally Stevens of the trade group Global Aquaculture Alliance says the industry must continue developing to feed growing populations. Mr. Stevens says a one hundred percent increase in fish farming over ten years is necessary to keep providing for people at the current level. He notes that fish farming creates jobs and wealth, especially for people in coastal areas of China.We learn that since the year 2006, fish farming has been ______.
| A．earning more money than traditional fisheries |
| B．developing rapidly around the world |
| C．growing at a rate of 6.6 percent each day |
| D．producing 46% of the world’s supply of fish |
According to Paragraph 3, thanks to fish farming, people around the world are able to ______.
| A．buy more kinds of fishes | B．eat more fish than before |
| C．eat much healthier fish | D．eat much bigger fish |
What is implied in Paragraph 4?
| A．it is harder to catch wild fish than before. |
| B．It costs too much to rebuild supplies of fish. |
| C．There is no future for the market of wild fish. |
| D．Catching wild fish no longer brings benefits. |
What does Wally Stevens think of fish farming?
| A．It doesn’t have disadvantages at all. |
| B．It cannot keep growing at the current rate. |
| C．It is not a good way of raising fish. |
| D．It must develop fast to supply a growing population. |