New York Times-The already crazed competition for admission to the nation’s most famous universities and colleges became even more intense (激烈的) this year, with many recording the lowest acceptance rates.
Harvard College, for example, offered admission to only 7.1 percent of the 27,462 high school seniors who applied — or, put another way, it rejected 93 of every 100 applicants, many with extraordinary achievements, like a perfect score on one of the SAT exams. Yale College accepted 8.3 percent of its 22,813 applicants. Both rates were records.
Columbia College admitted 8.7 percent of its applicants, Brown University and Dartmouth College about 13 percent, and Bowdoin College and Georgetown University 18 percent — also records.
“We love the people we admitted, but we also love a very large number of the people who we were not able to admit,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean (主任) of admissions and financial aid at Harvard College.
Some colleges said they placed more students on their waiting lists than in recent years, in part because of uncertainty over how many admitted students would decide to enroll （登记入学）. Harvard and Princeton stopped accepting students through early admission this academic year; that meant that more than 1,500 students who would have been admitted in December were likely to have applied to many famous schools in the regular round.
Many factors contributed to the tightening of the competition at the most selective colleges, admissions deans said. The number of high school graduates in the nation has grown each year over the last decade and a half, experts estimate that the figure will reach the highest point this year or next, which might reduce the competition a little.
Other factors were the ease of online applications, expanded financial aid packages, an ambitious students’ applying to ever more colleges.
1．What’s the passage mainly about?
A．Harvard has the lowest admission rate this year.
B．Many factors have led to the intense competition.
C．Famous universities prefer to have more students on their waiting lists.
D．Admission to famous universities became even more difficult this year.
2．Which of the following has the highest acceptance rate this year?
A．Yale College. B．Georgetown University.
C．Columbia College. D．Dartmouth College.
3．How many of the 20,000 applicants would be rejected by Columbia College this year?
A．18,260 B．1,740 C．18,350 D．1,950
As you dash outdoors in the middle of winter, you might make it halfway down the block before realizing that your ears are freezing because you forgot your hat.
Now, scientists have shown that even though you’ve had an apparent memory lapse(丧失), your brain never forgot what you should have done.
Memory works mainly by association. For example, as you try to remember where you left your keys, you might recall you last had them in the living room, which reminds you that there was an ad for soap on television, which reminds you that you need soap, and so on. And then, as you’re heading out of the door to buy soap, you remember that your keys are on the kitchen counter. Your brain knew where the keys were all along. It just took a round-about way to get there.
Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are studying associative memory in monkeys to figure out just how this complicated process works.
First, the researchers trained a group of monkeys to remember arbitrary(任意的) pairs of symbols. The researchers showed the monkeys one symbol(cold weather) and then gave them the choice of two other symbols, one of which (a hat) would be associated with the first. A correct choice would earn them a sip of their favorite juice.
Most of the monkeys performed the test perfectly, but one kept making mistakes.
“We wondered what happened in the brain when the monkey made the wrong choice, although it apparently learned the right pairing of symbols,” said study leader Thomas Albright.
Albright and his team observed signals from the nerve cells in the monkey’s inferior temporal cortex (ITC), an area of its brain used for visual pattern recognition and for storing this type of memory.
As the monkey was deciding which symbol to choose, about a quarter of the activity in the ITC was due to the choice behavior.
Meanwhile, more than half the activity was in a different group of nerve cells, which scientists believe represent the monkey’s memory of the correct symbol pairing, and surprisingly, these cells continued to fire even when the monkey chose the wrong symbol.
“In this sense, the cells ‘knew’ more than the monkeys let on in their behavior,” Albright said. “Thus, behavior may vary, but knowledge endures.”
57．The example of the keys and soap is given to explain the relationship between __________.
A．memory lapse and human brain B．memory and association
C．memory and television ads D．memory and our daily life
58．Which of the following best expresses the general idea of the text?
A．Your brain may forget something, but not always.
B．Activity is a round-about way to memory.
C．Your brain remembers what you forget.
D．Monkeys have better memory than us.
59．The researchers believe the monkey that made the wrong choice ________.
A．also knew the correct answer B．had the worst memory
C．failed to see the objects wellD．had some trouble with its nerve system
60．The underlined word “endures” may be best replaced by __________.
A．disappears B．increases C．improves D．remains
ARLANDA, Sweden (Reuters Life!) – Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane. But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hostel to prove it.
Dios says it is the world’s first jumbo (unusually large) jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at Sweden’s main airport outside Stockholm which has been changed into a 25- room guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people.
“I learned about this plane that was standing deserted at Arlanda airport and I’ve been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings,” he told Reuters. “I thought, ‘Why not a plane?’”
Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as comfortable.”
“The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull(壳) – it’s just really, really tight.”
The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002. It is held on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in steel cradles.
One feature of the hostel is its price – a room starts at 350 Swedish crowns (about $ 41), which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports.
Another feature is that customers can get married on the wing of the plane and stay in the plane’s more luxurious honeymoon suite (套房).
Instead of walking down the aisle in the church, lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostels calls the “wing walk,” where they can be joined in great happiness at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony.
But in some respects this hostel remains a plane – most customers have to share the jet’s nine bathrooms and the staff only wear air host and hostess outfits. The only room th
at has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite.
53．One of the features of the plane hostel is that ________
A．customers can sleep in comfortable rooms B．air hostesses can offer good service
C．a wedding ceremony can be held on the wing D．the staff can have a “wing walk”
54．We can learn from the text that________
A．the hostel lies at Arlanda airport in Stockholm
B．the jet plane was out of use for over six years
C．the hostel provides nine bathrooms for customers
D．every hostel room is $ 41 per night
55．The underlined word “tight” means________.
A．crowded B．tense C．small D．full
56．The purpose of the passage is to ________.
A．introduce a new kind of hostel B．describe a wonderful place for weddings
C．prove people can sleep on a plane D．call on people to make use of the deserted things
LINDA MAYNARD11 Windrift CircleMethuen, MA978 – 555 – 4539JOB OBJECTIVESeek special education, primary school, or middle school math teaching position.EDUCATION
Rivier College, Nashua, NHBachelor of Arts in Education – May, 2006Major: Elementary EducationHave successfully completed PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II. Meet highly qualified testing requirements for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.TEACHING EXPERIENCENovember, 2005 – January, 2006Wilkins Elementary School, Amhe
rst, NHStudent Teacher· Developed and completed student – centered lessons in all subject areas for various groups of fifth grade special and regular education students.·Adapted lessons to meet students’ needs by reviewing their backgrounds and learning needs through IEPs.·Communicated with parents on a regular basis via newsletters, daily or weekly progress reports, phone calls, and email, resulting in increased parental participation at home.September, 2005 – November, 2005Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NHStudent Teacher·Taught reading and writing through Language Experience Approach methods.·Introduced a Writer’s Workshop appropriate for first grade students to help them to develop their writing skills.·Developed learning stations in reading and science, enabling students to be more independent learners.Spring, 2005Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NHDesigned and taught a unit on Insects and Spiders, based on New Hampshire Standards to 23 self －contained, third and fourth grade students with disabilities.Fall, 2004Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NHTaught a class of 24 third grade students with a wide range of abilities.ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE·After-School Aid, Amherst School District, Amherst, NH (2004 – 2005)·Summer Camp advisor, YMCA, Nashua, NH (Summers, 2002 and 2003)·Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer, Nashua, NH (2002 – 2005)49．What kind of job does Linda want to get? A．A Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer. B．A middle school math teacher. C．A special education advisor.D．A summer camp advisor.50．Linda has worked for the following schools EXCEPT . A．Rivier College, Nashua, NH
B．Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH C．Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH D．Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH51．What can we know about Linda according to the passage? A．She was merely interested in developing student’s math abilities. B．She was not active in participating in after – school activities. C．She is permitted to teach in any high school of New York. D．She has plenty of experience in teaching.52．Which of the following is NOT included in the ways Linda used to communicate with the________students’ parents? A．Newsletters. B．Phone calls. C．Face-to-face talks. D．Daily or weekly progress reports.
The Worst PartMom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house. I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad.I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield. I even remembered to dial 1 first because it was long distance. “You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him.“Take it easy, kid,” he said. “I just didn’t get around to it. I was going to call this evening
. The week isn’t over yet.”I thought about that.“Something on your mind?” he asked.“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited.” Then I was sorry I said it.“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time.”I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun. I felt a little better, as long as we were talking. “How is Bandit?” I asked.There was a funny silence. For a minute I thought the line was dead. Then I knew something must have happened to my dog.“Well, kid—”, he began. “My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled. “I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said. “When I had to stop along with some other truckers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet.” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part. I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”
45．From the story we know that________. A．Leigh’s dad never ha
d a rest on Sundays B．Leigh was a deserted boy C．Leigh’s dad lived in another cityD．Leigh’s mother often went to golf games46．What happened to Bandit? A．It was frozen to death. B．It was let out of the cab and got lost C．It was killed by a truck. D．It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain.47．The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on” probably means “________”. A．Listen to reason B．Stop talkingC．Calm down D．Keep warm48．The worst part in Leigh’s eyes may be that________ A．his dad got remarried B．his parents got divorced C．his dad didn’t love him D．his mom didn’t take him to pizza
第二部分．阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
阅读下面五篇短文，从每题后所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案。
When someone gives you advice, listen without judgment, try to find value in what you’re hearing, and say: “Thank you”. This wise advice is easy to understand yet hard to practice. I’ll give you an example from my life when I totally blew it in terms of practicing what I teach.
In my work I travel constantly. I always put off going to the airport until the last second. My wife, Lyda, was sitting next to me in the front seat. I was racing along and not paying much attention. Lyda cried out! “Look out! There is a red light up ahead. ”
Being a trained behavioral science professional—who teaches others the value of encouraging advice—I screamed at her: “I know there is a red light up ahead! Don’t you think I can see?” When we arrived at the airport, Lyda didn’t speak to me. I wondered why she seemed mad at me.
During the flight to New York, I did a cost-benefit analysis. I asked myself: “What was the cost of just listening when Lyda called out the warning? Zero.” I then reasoned: “What was the potential benefit? What could have been saved?” Several potential benefits came to mind, including her life, my life, and the lives of other people.
|
I landed in New York feeling ashamed of myself. I immediately called Lyda and told her my cost-benefit story. I convinced her: “The next time you help me with my driving, I am just going to say, ‘Thank you.’”
A few months passed, and I had long forgotten the incident. Again, I was racing off to the airport, when Lyda c
ried out: “Look out for the red light!” I was embarrassed, and then shouted: “Thank you!”
asking the important people in your life how you can do things better. And be ready for an answer. Some people may tell you things like “Look out for the red light.” When this happens, remember that there is possibly some potential benefit. Then just say: “Thank you.”