In Miami, thousands of students have been out of class for some days because of Hurricane Wilma. Educational officials are worried about the long break will affect students’ school performance.
“We think that the sooner we get back to business, the better,” said Rudy Crew, headmaster of Miami-Dade School. 360, 000 students in this area will return to class on Thursday, 10 days after Wilma hit South Florida.
More than half the district’s 327 school buildings were seriously damaged when Wilma struck on October 24, and 270 buildings lost electrical power. About 30 buildings are still out of power, but lights may be back on Thursday when students return. In Broward County, schools will remain closed through Friday, because more than 100 buildings have been damaged after the storm. With traffic affected by broken stoplights, officials are worried about the safety of children traveling to and from school.
In Miami-Dade County, the nation’s fourth largest school district, officials are considering ways to make up for lost time. They may make the school year longer and reduce days from two-week holiday break in late December, said spokesman John Schuster.
Some parents also worry about the effect of lost school days. “They’re missing important tests and lessons that they are going to need. And how do you catch up with that lost time? It just disappears,” a high school student’s mother said.
“Although things are difficult, students’ performance in hurricane-damaged district may not be seriously affected by the hurricane”, said Florida Education Commissioner John Winn. “It turned out that hurricane-affected districts showed more learning gains than other districts in previous years. They have learned how to fight against disaster in any time. Things will turn better anyway.”
40. When will students return to school in the district?
A. October 24. B. October 31.
C. November 3. D. November 7.
41. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Many school buildings were seriously damaged.
B. Many school buildings lost electrical power.
C. Some parents also worry about their kids’ studies.
D. Some students got killed when they were at school.
42. According to the passage, we know that _____.
A. maybe students will not have the two-week holiday in late December as usual
B. the school buildings which lost electrical power have all returned to normal
C. some parents don’t think the hurricane affect their children’s performance much
D. John Winn thought that students’ performance would get worse due to the hurricane
43. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida
B. Parents worry about children’ education
C. Hurricane Wilma affected school days
D. Damage by the Hurricane Wilma
Of the several films Hirokazu has made about childhood and children, this one is the most modest, but no less pleasing for its delicate style and small setting. This wise and funny film works small miracles in describing such a moment when kids turn from the wishfulness of childhood into shaping the world for themselves.
The sweetly reflective hero, a sixth-grader named Koichi, starts out by wishing for a volcano to erupt. Not just any volcano, but the one that towers above his town, smoking heavily and giving off ash. An eruption would lead to a withdrawing, which would lead, at least in his mind, to a reunion with his father and kid brother, who’ve been living in Hakata while Koichi lives with his mother and retired grandparents in Kagoshima. The volcano, knowing nothing of this, refuses to erupt, but Koichi hears of another approach to realizing the desired miracle.
One of the pleasures of I Wish is watching how kids behave — how Koichi attacks his dinner, for example. Another pleasure is rediscovering how kids think. These kids can be logical and ever so tricky. But children’s thought processes can also be fancy. A boy wishes he could play baseball like one of baseball stars, who eats curry for breakfast; so he, too, starts eating curry for breakfast, instead of practicing on the field. Another boy tries to wish his dead dog, Marble, back to life. And what does Koichi finally wish for? I wish you’d see this delightful film to find out. Koichi wishes the volcano to erupt so that he can ______.
| A．enjoy the wonderful scene of a volcano |
| B．help those who suffer from the eruption |
| C．get together with his family members |
| D．work miracles during the disaster |
Which of the following statements is true of the film?
| A．It is set in a volcano eruption. |
| B．It is a serious science fiction movie. |
| C．It shows some dull and ridiculous behaviors. |
| D．It shows a lively and thoughtful world of children. |
What does the writer intend to do in this text?
| A．To recommend a film. |
| B．To make a review on a film. |
| C．To share pleasures of watching a film. |
| D．To discuss kids’ behavior and thoughts. |
Are you trying to learn a new language in a foreign land? You might be better off if you stopped looking at that picture of your family and friends.
New research from Columbia University found that prompting (提示) someone who is learning a new language with images and reminders of their own culture could temporarily ruin everything that the brain was trying to build.
When native Chinese students were asked to talk with a Caucasian avatar (白种人的虚拟头像) and a Chinese avatar, their English skills were so different. Simply exposing students to a Chinese person affected their ability to speak English. Subjects who talked with the Chinese version felt more comfortable in their speech, but they produced 11% fewer words per minute. They actually became less fluent speakers.
To make sure it wasn’t just the avatar, researchers also showed people random images of China while the participants told a story. When pictures of their homeland appeared, fluency dropped 16% and volunteers were 85% more likely to use a literal (照字面的) translation, for example, calling pistachios “happy nuts”, because that’s literally what the Chinese word for pistachio means.
When the students were shown pictures of fish with one swimming ahead of the others, their culture would change how they look at the photo. With Chinese prompt, like photos of the Great Wall or Chinese Dragon, etc. they saw more students thinking that the fish was being chased, while an American prompt, like pictures of Marilyn Monroe or Superman, saw those students believing that it was a leader fish.
The bottom line is: when attempting to learn a new culture it is far better to surround yourself with that culture than create an island of the old one.Why does the author use a question in the first paragraph?
| A．To raise a question. |
| B．To arouse readers’ awareness. |
| C．To introduce the topic. |
| D．To tell a story. |
The underlined word “pistachios” in the fourth paragraph refers to ______.
| A．pictures | B．volunteers |
| C．an image | D．a kind of food |
From the passage we can infer that ______.
| A．different images would change with different people |
| B．different cultures would affect how students look at the photo |
| C．with Chinese prompts, more students thought that it was a leader fish |
| D．with an American prompt, more students thought that the fish was being chased |
According to the research, which is a better way for a student in a foreign land to learn a new culture?
| A．To surround himself with that culture. |
| B．To create an island of the old one. |
| C．To see random images of China. |
| D．To talk with a Caucasian avatar. |
Fly Alone for the First Time
I began flying lessons at the age of 14; but the Federal Aviation Administration requires you to be 16 before you make flight by yourself. So I had to wait for two long years until I could fly a plane by myself. I used that time to master the basic maneuvers (要领) of flying. I learned emergency procedures and practiced hundreds of takeoffs and landings until I could land the airplane smoothly without bouncing it down the runway. It wasn’t always easy, and many times I would come home feeling discouraged and thinking maybe everyone was right – I would never learn to fly, but by the next day, I was always eager to try again.
On the day of my 16th birthday, I made my first solo flight, which meant I could finally fly alone. The night before, my dad, who was my flight instructor, explained that the winds were forecast to be high. He said if we were in the air by dawn, the winds would probably be calm enough for me to solo. The next morning it was cold, but the sky was completely clear, and the winds were calm. I expected my dad to stay in the plane for at least three takeoffs and landings. But after the first one, he told me to pull off the runway, and he got out of the plane.
I was alone. As I climbed higher and higher, the world began to change. Everything on the ground became miniature. Houses, cars, and all looked like tiny toys that could fit in the surface of my hand. I made three takeoffs and landings that day. Each landing was perfect. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
Today, as a flight instructor, I stand alongside runways watching as my own students take to the sky on their first solo flights. I understand the joy faces, which always bring me back to that day when my dream came true. I learned that no matter how people tell you that you can’t do something, if you believe in yourself, you can succeed.When practicing flying, the author ______.
| A．met several times of emergencies |
| B．was worried about his own safety |
| C．couldn’t wait to fly alone in the sky |
| D．sometimes doubted his ability to fly |
The underlined word “miniature” probably means “______”.
| A．distant | B．unclear | C．small | D．high |
What was the father concerned about before his son flied alone?
| A．Whether his son was brave enough. |
| B．Whether it would be too windy. |
| C．Whether he was able to protect his son. |
| D．Whether there were negative comments. |
What lesson does the author learn from his experience?
| A．Be confident and you will succeed. |
| B．Be responsible and you can grow up. |
| C．Give up something and you may win more. |
| D．Think hard and you can achieve your dream. |
Do you suffer from cybersickness？
The rise of mobile phones has been blamed for a number of social ills, but your smart phone may also be making you physically sick as well. Scientists have identified a condition called “cybersickness”, which they say is the digital version of motion sickness. The phenomenon, which affects up to 80 percent of the population who own smart phones or tablets, leads to feelings of sickness and unsteadiness. It is caused by seeing fast motion on a screen, which covers anything from a car chase in a film to scrolling through web pages on your phone.
The more realistic the visual content appears to you, the higher your chances of getting cybersickness are . The condition was identified in a piece in the New York Times in which British and US experts said that it needed solving. Motion sickness leaves sufferers feeling ill because they feel movement in your muscles and your inner ear but do not see it. The mismatch in digital sickness is the opposite—you see movement on the screen but do not feel it. The effect is the same and the symptoms include a headache, wanting to throw up, confusion and the need to sit down. Often cybersickness shows itself in a subtle way and sufferers put it down to stress or eyestrain.
Steven Rauch, a professor of otolaryngology（耳鼻喉科学） at Harvard Medical School, said: “Your sense of balance is different from other senses in that it has lots of inputs. When those inputs don’t agree, that’s when you feel dizziness and sickness. ”
Some studies that have been carried out into cybersickness found that women are more susceptible than men, the New York Times reported. Those who have Type A’ personalities—meaning they are confident and determined—are more likely to suffer from cybersickness as well. Among those who have reported experiencing the condition have been video gamers who spend hours playing fast paced games. Engineers at Oculus VR, the virtual headset manufacturer, have admitted that digital motion sickness is one of their biggest problems.From the text, we know that cybersickness ______.
| A．is completely equal to motion sickness |
| B．affects up to 80% of the population. |
| C．leads to people’s feelings of sickness and unsteadiness |
| D．is caused by seeing fast moving objects around |
What’s the difference between motion sickness and digital sickness?
| A．Digital sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| B．Digital sickness means sufferers feel movement but do not see it. |
| C．Motion sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| D．Motion sickness means sufferers don’t see or feel movement |
What does the underlined word “susceptible” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．likely to accept | B．likely to be affected |
| C．likely to suspect | D．likely to be cured |
This passage is most probably ____________.
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper ad |
| C．a book review | D．a science news report |
In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was heartbroken and ashamed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement and negativity she encountered whenever she talked about her dream. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy. That's impossible. "Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was a Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a demanding teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question: "If you had unlimited finances, unlimited access to the finest schools, unlimited talents and abilities, what would you do?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm, and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. The teacher leaned forward over her desk and said, "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dreams, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you want it enough."
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared all of a sudden. Jean felt thrilled and told her about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped the desk top. "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing varieties of laugh, frustration and opposition, she never gave up her dream. Instead, she went on doing everything her third-grade teacher said was fairy-tale.
Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain for the United Airline Company.Jean’s third-grade teacher thought her dream to be ____________.
| A．great | B．impossible |
| C．challenging | D．reasonable |
Mrs. Slaton may hold the view that _____________.
| A．only some of her students have great potential |
| B．her students are good enough to be admitted to the best schools |
| C．belief contributes to realizing a dream |
| D．Jean was to have her dream realized |
According to the passage, we can infer that___________.
| A．Jean’s dream was always in her deep heart |
| B．Jean owed her success to all her teachers |
| C．most people around Jean approved of her dream |
| D．Jean achieved her dream with ease |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．A Respectable Teacher | B．How to Realize a Dream |
| C．Hard Work Pays off | D．Reach for the Sky |