A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident. Who felt the angriest about the incident?
| A．The teacher who was fired. | B．The parents whose children cried. |
| C．The pupils who were in tears. | D．Santa Claus the teacher talked about. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching |
| B．the parents complained about the discipline of the school |
| C．the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher |
| D．in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?
| A．surprised. | B．noisy. | C．discouraged. | D．annoyed. |
In Western countries people have been using the installment （按揭）plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments .In the U.S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyers pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping, It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is ,however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.Which of the following is true about the installment plan?
| A．British families just use the installment plan to buy furniture. |
| B．More than 10 precent American families buy things on installment. |
| C．Americans spend more on installment buying than British people do. |
| D．The payment of installment buying is easier than buying by cash. |
Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because_________.
| A．the buyer has to pay extra money as interest |
| B．the delivery of the goods charges extra money |
| C．the buyer has to pay a down payment |
| D．The service offered by installment plan charged extra money |
What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?
| A．He might lose his job |
| B．He will stop owning the item he has bought |
| C．He will have to sell what he has bought |
| D．He will go into debt |
The advantages of installment buying might include all the followings EXCEPT that _________.
| A．purchasing power is strengthened |
| B．Employment might be increased |
| C．People develop a good habit of saving money |
| D．Young couples are able to furnish their homes |
In some countries, the government controls the installment plan to_________.
| A．increase employment |
| B．avoid depressions |
| C．ensure that businesses make good profits |
| D．ensure that people can pay for what they buy |
Green invaders are taking over America. Not invaders from space, but plants! You might not think of plants as dangerous, but in this case they are threatening nature’s delicate food chain.
The invaders are plants brought here from other countries to make gardens and yards look pretty. Ever since people started to arrive on America’s shores, they have carried along trees, flowers, and vegetables from other places. Now there are so many of those plants, they are crowding out the native plants that have lived here since before human settlers arrived.
And that’s a problem, says Dr. Doug Tallamy. He’s insect expert at the University of Delaware. He explains that almost all the plant-eating insects in the United States are specialized, which means they eat only certain plants. Monarch butterfly caterpillars(幼虫),for example, dine on milkweed. If people cut down milkweed and replace it with another plant, the butterflies will not have the food source that they need to survive.
But the trouble doesn’t stop there. When insects can’t get the right plants to eat and they die off, then the birds don’t have enough bugs for their meals. Tallamy points out that almost all migrating birds depend on insets to feed their young.
“We cannot let the plants and animals around us disappear.” says Tallamy, “The way to preserve them is to give them food to eat. But when we plant non-native plants, we are clobbering the food chain, because then we don’t have the insects the birds need to live.”
Fewer of the right plants mean fewer bugs, and fewer bugs mean fewer birds. And that’s bad for the Earth, because we need a variety of living things to keep the planet healthy and beautiful.
The good news is, garden centers sell native plants. “Just Google ‘native plants’ and your location, and you can find out which plants really belong where you live,” says TallamyHow did green invades arrive at America?
| A．They fell down from space. |
| B．They floated to the America’s shores. |
| C．They were brought in from foreign countries |
| D．They has lived here since human settlers arrived |
According to Dr.Tallamy, which of the followings about the insects in the US is NOT true?
| A．Almost all the plant-eating insects in a place eat certain plants. |
| B．Monarch butterfly caterpillars can’t survive without milkweed. |
| C．If insects can’t eat the right plants, they will find another one. |
| D．The insects’ death will greatly affect the migrating birds’ survival |
The underlined word “clobber” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．protect | B．damage | C．create | D．collect |
We can know whether a plant is native by _________.
| A．Googling on the Internet | B．asking Dr. Doug Tallamy |
| C．looking up in books | D．searching in garden |
What is the best title of the pass age?
| A．Green invaders——local living things |
| B．Green invaders——dangerous food chain |
| C．Green invaders——environmental protectors |
| D．Green invades——threat to local nature |
A new chapter in space exploration has been opened up after NASA confirmed that their mission to bomb the Moon had found “significant quantities” of frozen water. Scientists said the “exciting” findings had gone “beyond expectations” as fully formed ice was found in a crater on the planet. The water was found in one mile high dust that was kicked up by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite(LCOSS) last month when it crashed into the Cabeus crater near the Moon's south pole.
“Indeed，yes，we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit，we found a significant amount，”said Anthony Colaprete，project scientist and principal investigator for the ￡49 million space mission.
“This is a great day for science and exploration，” said Doug Cooke，associate administrator of NASA. “The remarkable results have gone beyond our expectations. It is incredibly exciting.”
The identification of water-ice is important for purely scientific reasons，but also because a supply of water on the Moon would be a vital resource for future human exploration. The findings，which completely contradict previous beliefs that the Moon was a dry place，justify the controversial mission. Over the last decade，scientists have found some hints of underground ice on the Moon's poles，mainly in the form of compounds of hydrogen but this is the best evidence yet.
The discovery is expected to have major implications for the future of lunar exploration，and a ready supply of water could help set up lunar bases or launch missions to Mars. Mr Colaprete said that it should be possible to purify the water for drinking even though it appeared to be mixed with poisonous methanol(甲醇)．Which of the following is TRUE of the “bombing”？
| A．It damaged the Moon surface severely. |
| B．It would do harm to the space environment. |
| C．It confirmed the existence of water on the Moon. |
| D．It would help the research on Mars. |
The underlined word “NASA” in the first paragraph maybe referred to ________.
| A．a base in space |
| B．a new kind of bomb |
| C．a part of the Moon |
| D．a government department |
Why is the finding of water on the Moon so important?
| A．People on the earth use more and more water. |
| B．In the future lots of people will live on the Moon. |
| C．The water will be a supply for future human exploration in space. |
| D．Because the water is mixed with poisonous methanol. |
How is the whole text developed?
| A．Providing some facts. |
| B．Following the order of space. |
| C．Making comparisons. |
| D．Analyzing causes. |
Which of the following is the best title of the text?
| A．Water Found on the Moon after NASA “Bombing” |
| B．Unbelievable Space Research |
| C．Possible Base on the Moon |
| D．Mysterious Water Found on the Moon |
Several hundred strangers received “love letters” from a young man on the street. The letter was written and given out by Yang Yang，a student majoring in human resources at Chongqing University of Science and Technology，who hoped to show his disappointment with job hunting.
Yang's story has caught media attention perhaps because it is similar to those of millions of recent graduates seeking jobs and struggling for survival in the country's wealthiest cities. They have diplomas，rather than professional skills，and come to big cities in hopes of better lives，only to find low-paying jobs and poor living conditions.
They are China's “ant tribe(蚁族)”，a term coined by sociologist Lian Si from Peking University in his 2009 book Ant Tribe. “They're so similar to ants. They share small and narrow living areas. They're intelligent and hardworking，yet nameless and underpaid.” The term also speaks to their helplessness in a world governed by the law of the jungle－only the strongest survive.
A survey in Lian's another book published this year，Ant Tribe Ⅱ，found nearly 30 percent of “ants” are graduates of famous universities－almost three times last year's percentage. Most had degrees in popular majors. In addition,7.2 percent of “ants” have at least a master's degree compared to 1.6 percent in 2009.
An “ant's” average monthly salary is 1,904 yuan，with about 64 percent of them earning less than 2,000 yuan a month.
Another survey in the 2010 Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Talent found more than 1 million “ants” live in big cities.
“Most ants are from rural families or small towns，and their experiences in universities didn't arm them well enough to fight with competitors in big cities' employment markets，” Professor Zhang Ming at Renmin University of China said.
The “ant tribe's” embarrassing living situations have become a serious social problem，and the government should develop smaller cities to attract more graduates from big cities，Zhang believed.
However，“ants” expect more study and training opportunities in big cities，which keeps them positive despite their situations.Yang's story is introduced in order to ________.
| A．analyze graduates' difficulties in finding jobs |
| B．lead to the topic of the article－“ant tribe” |
| C．tell readers a story about those big cities |
| D．show a clever way of dealing with pressure |
The “ants” fail to find high-paying jobs mainly because ________.
| A．they have no diplomas from good universities |
| B．their majors do not meet the needs of society |
| C．those from rural areas are not treated equally |
| D．they do not have necessary professional skills |
“Ant tribe” members are similar to ants in the following aspects EXCEPT that ________.
| A．they live in narrow and small places in groups |
| B．they work hard but earn little for survival |
| C．they are in a world judged by the jungle law |
| D．they are pleased with being nameless and underpaid |
Professor Zhang thought “ants” problems could be solved by ________.
| A．creating more jobs for graduates in big cities |
| B．developing smaller cities to attract graduates |
| C．sending graduates to rural areas and small towns |
| D．training graduates to improve their ability |
By writing this article，the author mainly intends to show ________.
| A．despite better education，“ants” are still struggling |
| B．despite difficulties，“ants” have a promising future |
| C．better education，better job opportunities |
| D．Ant Tribe is a good book to help understand today's China |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
At the middle school level，there are many academic clubs in which students can participate. Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest.
Mathcounts Club
Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science，technology，engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge students' math skills，develop selfconfidence and give rewards for their achievements.
Envirothon
The Envirothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues，and ecosystems(生态学)．The ecology field competition for fivemember middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife，soil，forestry，and current environmental issues. Students work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level.
Future Problem Solvers
Future Problem Solvers is an academic club that uses a sixstep process to solve problems that may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program，who like to “think out of the box”，or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems may like this club. Teams made up of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in a booklet using the sixstep process. Teams that score high enough can go to the state competition and then to the international competition.
Builders Club
Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community service. Each Builders Club is cosponsored by a Kiwanis club and a middle school. The members learn by doing，and they learn organization，teamwork，and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a “Teacher of the Year” program，provide a recycling collection point，organize canned food and clothing to support local shelters.
Middle school academic clubs offer students a place to explore interests or talents. The clubs they join in middle school can help guide choices in high school and beyond.Students choosing Mathcounts Club could ________.
| A．get help in science careers |
| B．enjoy solving future problems |
| C．perform community service |
| D．study wildlife and soil |
If you enjoy thinking about futuristic problems，________ is a good choice for you.
| A．Mathcounts Club |
| B．Builders Club |
| C．Future Problem Solvers |
| D．Envirothon |
The students who are not interested in competitions would like to choose ________.
| A．Mathcounts Club |
| B．Builders Club |
| C．Future Problem Solvers |
| D．Envirothon |
What is the common feature of the four clubs?
| A．Competitions. |
| B．Leadership. |
| C．Scientific researches. |
| D．Exploration of talents. |