Maggiano is an award-winning teacher in the Social Studies Department at West Springfield High School in Virginia．He has taught in public and private schools for 25 years．In a piece on his blog called “The Classroom Post,” he calls for more males to enter the profession(职业).
Men Teach, a non-profit organization that encourages men to enter teaching, reports that in 2008, 18.8% of all elementary and middle school teachers were men．At the high school level during the same year, men comprised（构成） 44% of the work force.
Why are there so few men in teaching? Men Teach says low pay and lack of prestige（声望）, as well as a perception in our culture that teaching is for women．As a result, there is no organized effort across the country to attract men into the teaching profession.
A study in 2008 by the National Education Association showed that the number of male teachers hit a record 40-year low．Males comprised 24.5 percent of public schoolteachers．States with high percentages: Kansas (33.6 percent), Oregon (31.6 percent), Alaska (30.9 percent) and Indiana (30.5percent).States with the lowest percentage : Arkansas (16.2 percent), Virginia (17.4 percent), Mississippi (17.5 percent), Louisiana (18 percent), South Carolina (18.5 percent) and Georgia (19.7 percent)．
There is no definitive(确定) research that male students--or female students, for that matter-- learn better from a particular sex.
But as Maggiano put it, “Kids today, both boys and girls, must have the same opportunity to learn from outstanding, devoted men that I did．However, I have heard little discussion about this problem coming from our national leaders．What worries Maggiano is that_______．
| A．nobody will take his place when he retires | |
| B．male teachers are not so excellent | |
C．men are not interested in teaching |
D．there is not enough teachers in the schools |
According to the text , we can infer that______．
| A．the number of male teachers hit a record 40-year low in 2008 |
| B．it is not certain that students will learn better from male teachers |
| C．male teachers get a higher pay |
| D．organized efforts have been made to call on men into the teaching profession |
In which state are male teachers most badly needed?
| A．Alaska | B．Virginia | C．Georgia | D．Arkansas |
What does the last paragraph suggest?
| A．The government doesn’t pay much attention to the shortage．of male teachers in the school. |
| B．Students find it easy to learn from male teachers. |
| C．I’m glad to hear the discussion about the shortage of male teachers in the school. |
D．The shortage of ma le teachers in the school has no effect on students． |
Sagrada Familia ( 2,056,448 visits/year)
Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (October-March) 09:00-20:00 (April-September).
Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: Yes.
The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they’ve still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project’s vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona’s top tourist attractions for many years.
La Pedrera (1,133,220 visits/year)
Opening hours: 09:00-18:30 (November-February) 09:00-20:00 (March-October)
Admission: $9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: No.
This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it’s more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).
Barcelona FC Museum (1,032,763 visits/year)
Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00-20:00; the rest of the year: 10:00 to 18:30.
Admission: $8.50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.
Disabled access: Yes.
It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I’m not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.
Miró Museum (518,869 visits/year)
Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.
Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: Yes.
This museum has a wide range of Miró’s works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.Which of the following attractions is the most popular?
| A．Sagrada Familia. | B．La Pedrera. |
| C．Barcelona FC Museum. | D．Miró Museum. |
What can we know about the four tourist attractions?
| A．Sagrada Familia is the largest building in Barcelona. |
| B．La Pedrera is well known for its colors. |
| C．Barcelona FC Museum will attract football fans. |
| D．Miró Museum was built in as early as the year of 1914. |
If you visit the Barcelona FC Museum with a tour guide, you should pay .
| A．$8.5 | B．$25.5 | C．$17 | D．$25 |
What do the four attractions have in common?
| A．They are famous for their architectural styles. |
| B．They are all accessible for the disabled people. |
| C．Their opening hours are changeable in different times. |
| D．Tourists can get a discount of 20% with the Barcelona Card. |
The other day when I was passing a clothing store, I fell in love with a skirt. I knew it would suit me best at first sight. But when I looked at the price tag (标签), I knew I had to give it up.
The love for beautiful clothes has been planted in my heart the day when I was born to be a woman. Several years ago I read an article in a magazine. The article stated that when a woman is at her best time, she is usually poor or tasteless, so she can’t get the right clothes; when she can afford to buy the clothes she likes, she often finds that they do not suit her anymore.
On the way home, I was quite disturbed by such thoughts. It was just a pity, like many other pities. I thought to myself this way. But when I was about to enter the building where I was living, I saw the big mirror placed in the entrance. I saw a girl in it who was in cheap but cleanly washed sweater and jeans. She was rather young, healthy and energetic. For quite a while I was touched by what I had seen in the mirror.
Then I almost forgot the tale: A person without shoes cried until he saw a man without feet. Being young without good clothes is like the person without shoes. I should have felt grateful that I haven’t lost my feet.How did the author feel when she decided not to buy the skirt?
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Wise. |
| C．Regretful. | D．Relieved. |
The underlined word “She” in Paragraph 3 refers to .
| A．the author’s friend | B．a stranger |
| C．the author’s roommate | D．the author |
Why was the author touched by what she saw in the mirror?
| A．She came to realize what she really possessed. |
| B．She was reminded of her devotion to beauty. |
| C．She didn’t feel at ease when looking into a mirror. |
| D．She never thought over the other side of a person. |
We can learn from the text that the author considered her love for beautiful clothes as .
| A．funny | B．natural | C．silly | D．Simple |
Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible．
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products of technological developments in the space industry!
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers．The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1?
| A．To express his doubts. |
| B．To compare different ideas. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. |
| D．To describe the conditions on Earth. |
What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?
| A．Humans are nature-born to do so. |
| B．Humans have the tendency to fight. |
| C．Humans may find new sources of food. |
| D．Humans don't like to stay in the same place. |
The underlined word "spin-offs" in Paragraph 4 probably refers to______.
| A．survival chances | B．potential resources |
| C．unexpected benefits | D．physical possessions |
What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?
| A．Our genetic makeup. |
| B．Resources on the earth. |
| C．The adaptive ability of humans. |
| D．By-products in space exploration. |
For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages. Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet plane fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.
Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured . The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.
Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passengers move again to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.
Man, however, is now a world traveler and can not turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master.What does the writer try to express in Paragraph1?
| A．Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages． |
| B．The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short． |
| C．The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams． |
| D．Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place． |
How does the writer support the underlined statement in Paragraph2?
| A．By giving instructions. |
| B．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| C．By following the order of time. |
| D．By giving examples. |
According to Paragraph 3, passengers are turning back to modern high-speed trains because______．
| A．they pay less for the tickets |
| B．they feel safer during the travel |
| C．they can enjoy higher speed of travel |
| D．they don’t have to be “processed” |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Air travel benefits people and industries． |
| B．Train Travel has some advantages over air travel． |
| C．Great changes have taken place in modern travel. |
| D．The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost. |
Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.
● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.
● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin（棺材）among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.
● A man in New York came up with a disarming（手无寸铁的）way to perform his latest bank robbery, approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”
● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.
● A set of artificial teeth made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction（拍卖）.
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（抛弃）a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.
● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
● Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.
● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.What is special about the coffin in the second news?
| A．It is golden. | B．It has a cell phone. |
| C．It is new. | D．It has many items. |
Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?
| A．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. |
| B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth. |
| C．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. |
| D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. |
Which of the following is true according the news above?
| A．The love seats on the buses are only for married couples. |
| B．The man in New York robbed the bank with a gun. |
| C．Winston Churchill’s set of artificial teeth is worth a lot. |
| D．A British woman dumped the cat because she hated it. |
From the last news we can infer that _________.
| A．in Kuwait many men are eager to get married |
| B．a lot of rich single men lived in Kuwait |
| C．there are quantities of oil in Kuwait |
| D．there are many single women in Kuwait |