TAIBEI － Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island’s “China rush”, seeking education on the Chinese mainland．
According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998．Although no latest official numbers were available,” Netbig. Com Said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with well over 1000 entering mainland campuses last year.
The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities. “Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market, Net. Com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．“I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people,” said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master’s degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best environment for such studies.
A journalism graduate student, surnamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since “there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there”. “They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations,” said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies. A Netbig. Com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.
At present, Chinese Taibei doesn’t recognize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates（证书）from selected universities.More Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland because ___________.
| A．Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later |
| B．the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan |
| C．what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future |
| D．there are many famous universities for them to choose |
Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children ___________.
| A．could receive better education | B．could learn more about the policy there |
| C．could do well in the business operations | D．could make more friends there |
The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to __________.
| A．Netbig. Com | B．a Chinese education on the mainland |
| C．the Chinese job market | D．the university |
The author wrote the article to tell us ______________.
| A．more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland |
| B．the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year |
| C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan |
| D．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field. |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland |
| B．The number of Taiwanese students going to study on the mainland will surely be increasing in the next few years. |
| C．Chinese Taibei doesn’t help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying in the mainland |
| D．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland. |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ---- About 140 pilot whales that stranded(使...搁浅) themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday.
The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years and inspired 80 workers and volunteers to help out.
By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.
He said the workers and volunteers worked throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them during Saturday night’s high tide.
“We’ve had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country,”Lamason said.
He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that although hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again.
Lamason said the scale(规模) of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and mentally.
“It’s very sad, they’re very intelligent animals,” he said. “The common view is that it’s part of nature.”
The focus will now turn to the dead whales, and the enormous task of dealing with the remains, Lamason said, adding that in the past helpers have typically buried them in the sand, but that he’s not sure what the approach will be this time.
He said the department had been experimenting with moving the the dead whales into the water, which has the advantage of providing food for other sea creatures.What is the exact number of whales stranded last Friday?
| A．140. | B．60. | C．80. | D．198. |
Why did the volunteers have to wait until Saturday before they could refloat the whales?
| A．Because they were very busy on Friday. |
| B．Because they had to wait for the sea water to rise. |
| C．Because the whales were too intelligent. |
| D．Because the whales were buried deep in the sand. |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Lamason’s attitude towards the result of refloating the whales?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Positive. | D．Careless. |
What did Lamason say about the feelings of the workers and volunteers?
| A．They were very happy to see so many whales. |
| B．They thought refloating the whales was not a hard job. |
| C．They were physically tired and emotionally hurt. |
| D．They believed that this is very natural. |
How will the volunteers deal with the dead whales this time according to Lamason?
| A．They will bury them in the sand. |
| B．They will throw them into the ocean. |
| C．They do not have any exact idea yet. |
| D．They will feed them to other sea creatures. |
As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and they were admitted to full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges first admitted women in 1974. St Hilda's College, which was originally for women only, was the last of Oxford’s single sex colleges. It has admitted both men and women since 2008.
By 1200, the town of Cambridge had at least one school of some distinction. Then, in 1209, some scholars settled there. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. From the start there was conflict between the town and the students. Students, usually aged about fourteen or fifteen, often caused disturbances; citizens of the town, on the other hand, were known to overcharge for rooms and food. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, MIT adopted a European university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. The current 168-acre campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin.
On April 29, 1911, Tsinghua Xuetang began its first term of study, and from that year on, the Tsinghua’s anniversary has fallen on the last Sunday of April. Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in 1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University combined to form the National Southwest Associated University in Kunming. After the war, Tsinghua University moved back to its original Beijing campus.The University of Oxford did not take in female students until ______.
| A．2008 | B．1878 | C．1920 | D．1974 |
When the University of Cambridge was set up, ______.
| A．there were too many scholars |
| B．students were mostly adults |
| C．King Henry III gave much help |
| D．the town people were very friendly |
The reason for founding MIT is ______.
| A．to meet the need of American industrialization |
| B．to take advantage of the European university style |
| C．to cover an extended area along the Charles River |
| D．to stress research and education in the physical sciences |
Which of the four universities was once moved to another place in history?
| A．Oxford. | B．Cambridge. |
| C．MIT. | D．Tsinghua. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to this passage?
| A．Henry III banned students attending the University of Paris. |
| B．The landlords of Cambridge asked for too much money. |
| C．MIT covers a very large area of land. |
| D．Tsingua, Peking and Nankai once joined together. |
People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed. It’s not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.
Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of question. They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from each other, and there is a great deal of debate between proponents of each theory. The argument is often conveniently referred to as nature vs. nurture.
Those who support the “nature” side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological and genetic factors. That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme, this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined(注定)to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts(本能).
Proponents of the “nurture” theory, or, as they are often called, behaviorists, claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. Behaviorists see humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings. Their view of the human being is quite mechanistic; they maintain that, like machines, humans respond to environmental stimuli (something that helps sb./ sth. to develop better and more quickly)as the basis of their behavior.
The social and political connections of these two theories are significant. In the United States, for example, blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligent test. This leads some “nature” proponents to conclude that blacks are genetically worse than whites. Behaviorists, in contrast, say that the differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often robbed of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy, and that, as a result ,they do not develop the same responses that whites do.
Neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior. In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes. That the argument will continue for a long time is certain.The author is mainly concerned about solving the problem.
| A．why our personalities and behaviors differ |
| B．what makes different stages of intelligence |
| C．how social scientists form different theories |
| D．what causes the “nature/ nurture” argument |
The underlined word “proponents” can best be replaced by.
| A．approaches | B．advocates |
| C．principles | D．characters |
Which of the following statements may be supported by the “nature” school?
| A．We are born with certain personalities and behaviors. |
| B．Environment has nothing to do with our personalities. |
| C．Abilities and characteristics are showed by behaviors. |
| D．Only extreme behaviors are determined by instincts. |
What can we learn about the behaviorists?
| A．They believe human beings are mechanical. |
| B．They compare our behaviors to the machines. |
| C．They suggest that we react to the environment as the machines do. |
| D．They agree that the mechanistic theory can be applied on us as well. |
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. ” The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. ” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don’t replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident, ”Kendall said. He said , “Consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. ”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.According to the passage, California Governor Jerry Brown ______________.
| A．is for the idea of having driverless cars |
| B．sponsored the DARPA competition to improve the driverless system |
| C．has already bought a new autonomous car |
| D．thinks that driving safety is the most important issue in his state |
What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．They can help cars run much faster. |
| B．They can take the place of drivers now. |
| C．They can make cars run without fuel. |
| D．They can help people drive more safely. |
In Kendall’s opinion, who probably don’t rely on the driverless cars at first?
| A．managers in the high-tech company Google |
| B．officers from the U. S. government agency DARPA |
| C．car consumers |
| D．vehicle designers |
According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
| A．They need to have more comfortable seats . |
| B．They are now too expensive for consumers. |
| C．They are travelling at a low speed. |
| D．They are not favored by car racers |
A planned visit to Trinidad and Tobagosometime ago by a former American president, suddenly took an amazing turn form the initial plan. The presidential aircraft could not land in Trinidad and Tobago. It was reported that the runway of the airport was too short. Therefore, the aircraft had to land in a nearby country and they came into the country by road.
Everyone has a runway by which events enter into his life. The events here could be favors, miracle, connections, job opportunities, etc. The size of your runway determines the level of results that will be attracted into your life.
I have a story of two good friends. They finished high school together. One wanted to further his studies while the other decided to look for a job. As time went on, the one that wanted to work was always there to support the other one especially in the area of fees in school for a long time. As destiny would have it, they both lost contact and after a very long time, they met again but on a very different level. The one that added values to himself by going back to school had stepped up greatly to become the general manager of a big company and the other was just a little lifted. So, it was time to pay back. The one of general manager could only support him financially and make him the chief driving officer in the company. Even though he would have loved to give him a higher post he was not qualified especially in terms of skills, orientation , experience and so on. In other words, his runway was too short for such an opportunity.
Everyone must increase in knowledge and training . You must step up in your education level, human, business and communication skills. Your relationship with people must improve by being a good person. Your runway is enlarged anytime you add values to your life.
There are some jobs, opportunities, favor that cannot protect base in your life. They will have to be coming from other people into your life because you have failed to work on your own runway by improving on your abilities. It is not too late or too early to start in life because every stage in life is a good place to begin. In the first paragraph, the president had to change his plan because _________________.
| A．the weather condition was bad for their journey |
| B．they couldn’t go into that country by their plane |
| C．they wanted to visit the neighboring country temporarily |
| D．the president had to deal with something back in his country |
The two friends had different final results because __________________________
| A．they had different life goals |
| B．one always wanted to beat the other |
| C．they had different education levels |
| D．they wanted to show their different success |
What is stressed in the last paragraph?
| A．The key to success. |
| B．The need of others’ help |
| C．The trouble from failure |
| D．The real meaning of life |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Kindness Makes a Big Different |
| B．Depend on Youself |
| C．Competition Exists Everywhere |
| D．Always Improve on Yourself |