There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have ever taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities (复杂性) of spelling.
If spelling becomes the only focal (焦点的) point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe”. He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That’s why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: “This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is terrible.” It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil’s technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the child’s ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation (动机) to seek improvement.Teachers are different in their opinions about _________.
| A．the difficulties in teaching spelling |
| B．the role of spelling in general language development |
| C．the complexities of the basic writing skills |
| D．the necessity of teaching spelling |
The underlined expression “play safe” probably means ________.
| A．to write carefully | B．to do as teachers say |
| C．to use dictionaries frequently | D．to avoid using words one is not sure of |
Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that ____________.
| A．students will be able to express their ideas more freely |
| B．students will have more confidence in writing |
| C．students will have less trouble in correcting mistakes |
| D．students will learn to be independent of teachers |
The author seems to think that the teacher’s judgment on that sensitive piece of writing is __________.
| A．unfair | B．reasonable | C．foolish | D．careless |
The major point discussed in the passage is ___________.
| A．the importance of developing writing skills |
| B．the complexities of spelling |
| C．the correct way of marking compositions |
| D．the relationship between spelling and the content of a composition |
1. What will I need to take a Test?
You need a photo ID, your instructor’s name, a pencil or pen, a calculator, etc.
2. How will I know about time limits?
Students will be informed of any testing time limits, and notified when time is up.
3. If I have my books or backpack, does the Test Center have a place to store them while I’m testing?
Yes. Students will be asked to leave all books, backpacks, purses and any other personal items in a lockable storage room.
4. The only time I can take a test is during lunch. Can I eat my lunch while I am testing?
No food or drink are allowed in the Test Center.
5. I conduct business via a pager(寻呼机) or cell phone. Will I be allowed to use them in the Test Center?
No. all pagers and cell phones must be turned off before entering the Test Center. There are other students testing who may be distracted by these devices.
6. If I need to borrow more scratch paper(草稿纸) am I allowed to borrow from another student in the Test Center?
Ask the teacher and more material will be given. Talking is not permitted in the Test Center. You will give all scratch paper to the teacher at the end of the test.
7. If I start a test but don’t finish it, can I come back the next day to finish it?
If you have prior(在先的) arrangements with your instructor you may continue a test the next day. Students are expected to complete their test before closing time of the Test Center. Depending on the test, most tests will not be given within one hour of closing time.What does the underlined word “notified” probably mean?
| A．Noticed. | B．Told. | C．Questioned. | D．Asked. |
When you take a test in the Test Center, all of the following are forbidden EXCEPT _____.
| A．to eat and drink | B．to use your cell phone |
| C．to leave your purse on the desk | D．to ask for more scratch paper |
If you don’t finish the test you ______.
| A．must turn in the paper on time |
| B．should get help from your instructor |
| C．can continue it the next day by prior arrangement |
| D．can take the paper out of the center |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Frequently asked questions about the Test Center |
| B．Useful suggestions on different kinds of tests |
| C．General requirements for students to have tests |
| D．Brief introduction to the Test Center |
Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit(赢利的)organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages．Anyone，from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer．
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of the children whose parents are working．Hospitals need volunteers to look after children whose parents are seeing a doctor．Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes．There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer，I don’t want to get anything．Seeing the children’s happy faces，I’m happy，too” said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62．“I often played computer games in my spare time before．Now it is happy for me to help older people learn how to use computers．”said another volunteer at the age of 18．
If everyone helps out a bit，we’ll have a better world to live in．Interested? Call us l-800-555-5756 or visit our website：www．activol．com．When do the volunteers help others?
| A．In their spare time | B．At weekends | C．on weekdays | D．In the evenings |
can be a volunteer．
| A．Children | B．Old women | C．Anyone aged12—70 | D．Young people |
Volunteers want to getwhen they help others．
| A．money | B．computers | C．everything | D．nothing |
Carlos Domingo does volunteer work with .
| A．animals | B．children | C．computers | D．older people |
Dear teachers, do you want to find pen pals for your students? Boys and girls, do you want to find your own e-pals (网友)? Here is some advice on how to make e-pals.
First, take a look at www.spoton.de community (社区). Click on international pen pal sites to find some of our favorite international e-pal and pen pal web sites. Do not forget: some e-pal services are not free and some are safer than others. Remember to read a web site safety warning before you join!
KidFu (www.kidfu.com) says it is the safest place online for kids to chat, play games and make friends. Get your parents to help you register (注册) and then you can write things about yourself or read what other kids have written. There are also chat monitors that make sure that the online chat rooms are safe and friendly. KidFu costs money, but the first month is free.
If you join Epals (www.epals.com), you can choose a pen pal among 65,000 kids from 191 countries. You can also find information about how teachers can get pen pals for their pupils.
Or if you want to start sending e-mails right now, go to Europa Pages (www.europapage.com/
penpal-form.html). Lots of young people have written their names, interests, home countries and their e-mail addresses. Just click on a name and start writing! Who is the passage written for?
| A．Teachers and parents. | B．Parents and their children. |
| C．Teachers and children | D．Workers and doctors. |
If you want to choose a safe web site, you can click on.
| A．www.kidfu.com | B．www.spoto.de |
| C．www.epals.com | D．www.europapage.com/penpal-form.htm! |
What is the advantage of Europa Pages?
| A．It is the safest. |
| B．It is free. |
| C．You can choose more pen pals from a great number of countries. |
| D．You can start sending e-mails at once. |
What is a chat monitor mentioned in the 3rd paragraph?
| A．It is a person controlling the chat. |
| B．It is a person sent by the police to keep order in the chat rooms. |
| C．It is a person in the web site to give safe online advice. |
| D．It is a kind of software (软件) to keep online chatting friendly and safe. |
Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend (超越) it. Once we truly know that life is difficult — once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, those things that hurt, instruct. It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ________.
| A．save space | B．persuade readers | C．make readers laugh | D．get readers’ attention |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to________.
| A．encourage them to learn | B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problem |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain | D．teach them how to respect for problems |
From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and the globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable（可持续的）ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil, which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions（排放）and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that _________.
| A．it consumes natural resources |
| B．it makes the world warmer |
| C．it brings severe damage to forests |
| D．it makes growth hard to continue |
What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
| A．China lacks wind and solar energy. |
| B．China is the leader of the low-carbon market. |
| C．Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests. |
| D．High-speed trains are a low-carbon development. |
To fully develop the low-carbon markets, governments can ________.
| A．cut public expenses | B．encourage energy conservation |
| C．develop public resources | D．forbid carbon emission |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To advocate sustainable development. | B．To compare two business models. |
| C．To predict a change of the global market. | D．To introduce a new business model. |