Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
In the early years, these schools were much alike(*similar).Only young men went to college. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated(*毕业),most of them became ministers or teachers.
In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history.
As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.
Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There’s so much to learn that one kind of school can’t offer it all.The oldest university in the US is _________.
| A．Yale | B．Harvard | C．Princeton | D．Columbia |
From the second paragraph, we can see that in the early years,______.
| A．those colleges and universities were the same |
| B．people, young or old, might study in the colleges |
| C．students studied only some languages and science |
| D．when the students finished their school, they became lawyers or teachers |
Modern languages the Harvard taught in 1825 were ________.
| A．Latin and Greek | B．Latin, Green, French and German |
| C．American history and German | D．French and German |
As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach_______.
| A．everything that was known | B．law and something about medicine |
| C．many new subjects | D．the subjects that interested students |
On the whole, the passage is about___________.
| A．how to start a university | B．the world-famous colleges in America |
| C．how colleges have changed | D．what kind of lesson each college teaches |
Roman Pantheon （万神殿） is one of the greatest achievements of the ancient Romans. The ancient Romans were good architects and they built many wonderful buildings. Another good example of a Roman architectural style is the Roman Coliseum, which is a large building used for public sports events or entertainment. The Roman architectural style has been borrowed by many of the western countries.
The architecture of Pantheon is unique to Rome. In Latin and Greek, pantheon means "Temple of all the Gods". Marcus Agrippa built the original Pantheon in 27 BC. But the Pantheon built by Agrippa was completely destroyed in 80 AD when a fire broke out. The Roman Pantheon that is visited by many tourists today was rebuilt in 125 AD by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's architects followed the exact design of Marcus Agrippa. Historians believe that the Pantheon was a place of worship(崇拜) because it housed all the gods and goddesses of the ancient Romans.
The Pantheon of Rome is an amazing example of ancient Roman architecture. This building has been in use for over 2000 years. The Roman Pantheon is famous for its design, size. The most unbelievable feature of this building is its huge concrete dome(圆顶). The Pantheon’s dome was thought to be the largest, until recent times.
Phocas, the Byzantine Emperor presented the Roman Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV to save it from the destruction. In 609 AD, it was turned into a church. During Papal rule, it was used as a burial ground (坟场) for kings and other famous people. There are tombs of Raphael (a painter), King Victor Emmanuel II, King Umberto I and many more in the Pantheon.
Some of the buildings that were constructed on the model of the Roman Pantheon are The Rotunda - University of Virginia, Low Memorial Library - Columbia University, Grand Auditorium - Tsinghua University, Jefferson Memorial - Washington D.C. and Duomo - Florence.From the first paragraph, we can learn that _______.
| A．the Coliseum was often used for big parties |
| B．there were different architectural styles in Rome |
| C．the Roman architectural style was borrowed from many western countries |
| D．the Pantheon and the Coliseum are examples of Roman architecture |
According to historians, the Pantheon was built to _______.
| A．exhibit the terrific design of Marcus Agrippa |
| B．suggest the power of Emperor Hadrian |
| C．provide a place for Roman gods and goddess |
| D．show ancient Rome’s unique architectural style |
The Pantheon which tourists visit at present was built in _______.
| A．27BC | B．80AD | C．about 125AD | D．609 AD |
The Pantheon was thought highly of especially because of its _______.
| A．strange shape | B．huge dome | C．perfect quality | D．beautiful |
The text mainly tells us _______.
| A．some facts about the Roman Pantheon |
| B．the influence of ancient Roman architecture |
| C．Roman’s lifestyle in ancient times |
| D．ancient Romans and their architecture |
A 33-year-old financial analyst in California recently quit his job to devote himself to an unpaid job teaching math on the Internet, and his lessons are reaching almost 100,000 people a month. Salman Khan’s voice is heard every day on the net — by tens of thousands of students around the world who are hungry for help learning math. He has posted 1,200 lessons on You Tube —lessons that appear on an electronic blackboard, which range from basic addition to advanced mathematics for science and finance. And they are free.
Khan lives in Silicon Valley, with his wife, a doctor, and their new baby. He got the idea for his “Khan Academy” four years ago, when he taught a young cousin how to convert kilograms to grams. With Khan’s help, the cousin got good at math, and Khan began a new career.
Now, Khan records his lessons himself, but he never goes on camera. “It feels like my voice in their head. You’re looking at it and it feels like someone’s over your shoulder talking in your ear, as opposed to someone at the blackboard, which is distant from you,” he said.
When Springfield High School in Palo Alto, California invited Khan to speak in person—he immediately connected to the students there.
The idea of short lessons that can be played over and over again attracted high school senior Bridget Meaney. She says she had trouble with math in the seventh grade. “I think the teachers are good, but they can’t teach at a speed that’s perfect for everyone,” she said. “I like the idea of learning something in class but then going back and pressing pause or rewind and actually getting a deeper understanding of it.”
Originally, Khan kept his lessons short because of YouTube restrictions. Now, he thinks short is better. “Education researchersnow tell me that 10 minutes is how long someone can have a high level of concentration. And anything beyond that and your brain switches off,” he said.
For Khan, teaching math, science, and finance is just the beginning. He says he’s ready to expand his YouTube site to include other subjects as well.What gave Khan the idea of teaching math online?
| A．His success in helping his cousin learn math. |
| B．His discovery that many students found learning math difficult. |
| C．A suggestion made to him at a local high school. |
| D．His interest in Internet teaching. |
Why does Khan never go on camera?
| A．He’s too shy to show his face on camera. |
| B．It’s restricted by YouTube for education videos. |
| C．He wants to keep distance from the viewers. |
| D．He wants to create a more relaxed learning atmosphere. |
From the passage, we know that ________.
| A．Khan travels to many schools to promote his lessons |
| B．Khan plans to include more subjects in the future |
| C．Khan gives live math lessons every day for free |
| D．Khan set up the Khan Academy with his wife |
Why does Bridget Meaney like Khan’s lessons?
| A．Khan teaches seventh grade math better than her teacher. |
| B．The lessons can be watched repeatedly until fully understood. |
| C．She can perfectly follow the pace of Khan’s teaching. |
| D．She cannot concentrate when learning in class. |
What does Khan mean by “short is better” in the 6th paragraph?
| A．Keeping the lessons short can ensure better concentration. |
| B．YouTube recommends short lessons for its site. |
| C．Short lessons encourage students to return to the website. |
| D．Students enjoy short mathematics lessons more. |
These days, young children can enjoy directly what it is like to be a marine biologist (海洋生物学家) at a marine association. What they discover can lead them to appreciate and protect the ocean and also the animals living in it.
At the present time, learning isn’t only limited to the classroom. It’s quite common for kids to learn from outdoor experiences. Teachers commonly take their pupils on field trips to museums as well as other interesting areas. If you wish to help pupils to take care of the ocean, one of the best areas to take them to is a marine association, the place where the ocean biome (生物圈) is shown.
Taking your pupils to a marine association is a prefect way to help them learn. Education professionals agree that there are topics that children can learn more successfully whenever they experience them directly.
Several organizations that focused on protecting the ocean now operate on the coast of different areas in America and all around the world. It’s quite common for marine associations nowadays to open their doors several times a week to kids, parents, and ocean lovers to learn more about the ocean biome.
A marine association has different programs for children of different ages. You’ll find programs that are developed specially for pupils. Pupils are involved in interactive (互动的) learning. This learning experience allows young children to recognize the value of the role each species performs in their environment. They not only get to research creatures from the ocean, but they also get to see, touch, and smell most of these animals and plants. This type of exposure offers students an idea about the life of a marine scientist. It could help them choose a career afterwards.
These programs are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays in order that kids and parents can have more hours in which to have fun. Teachers who want to arrange these activities for their students can call a local marine association near them.According to the text, pupils can have a better understanding of the ocean biome by _______.
| A．learning about it from books |
| B．going to a marine association |
| C．attending marine biologists’ meetings |
| D．taking part-time jobs at marine associations |
In Paragraph 5, the author mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．the advantage of learning at a marine association |
| B．different activities offered by a marine association |
| C．a marine association’s working conditions |
| D．the way to develop children’s interest in ocean |
The underlined word “exposure” in Paragraph 5 probably means _______.
| A．the way of explaining something |
| B．the way of choosing a career |
| C．a marine association’s working condition |
| D．the way to develop children’s interest in the ocean |
Which of the following is TURE?
| A．Young children can enjoy indirectly what it is like to be a marine biologist at a marine association. |
| B．To help your pupils to take care of the ocean, the best area to take them to is a marine association. |
| C．Children can learn the topics more successfully when they experience them directly. |
| D．A marine association has the same program for children of different ages. |
The text is most probably taken from _______.
| A．a teacher’s presentation |
| B．a marine biologist’s report |
| C．a student’s field trip journal |
| D．an introduction to a marine association |
Nowadays more and more young athletes are taking part in the risky activities called “extreme sports” or “X-sports”.
In the past young athletes would play baseball. Today, they want risk and excitement — the closer to the edge, the better. They snowboard over cliff and hike deep mountains.
Extreme sports started as an alternative to more expensive sports such as golf. A city kid who couldn’t afford expensive sports equipment could get a skateboard and have fun. But now it has become a whole new area of sports, with specialized equipment and high levels of skill. There is even an Olympics for extreme sports, called the winter x-game, which includes snow mountain hiking and ice climbing.
What makes extreme sports so popular? Maybe it’s because people love the risk. City people want to be outdoors on the weekends and do something challenging. The new equipment is so much better that people can take more risks without getting hurt. Sure there’s a risk. Once you go mountain hiking or snowboarding, it’s impossible to go back to have riding or skiing. It’s just too boring.
Now even the older crowd is starting to join in. Every weekend, groups of friends in their early 30s get together. On weekdays they work as computer programmers in the same office. On weekends they hike mountains together.
Extreme sports are certainly not for everyone. Most people still prefer to play basketball or watch sports on TV. But it has been a fact that extreme sports are gaining popularity.Extreme sports started as an alternative to more expensive sports because _______.
| A．people didn’t like to play golf |
| B．some city kids couldn’t afford expensive sports equipment |
| C．there is an Olympics for extreme sports |
| D．extreme sports are gaining popularity |
More and more young athletes are taking part in extreme sports because _______.
| A．people want risk and excitement |
| B．it’s impossible to go back to have riding or skiing |
| C．people can take more risks without getting hurt |
| D．the older crowd is starting to join in |
To have extreme sports, you should _______.
| A．have specialized equipment and high levels of skill |
| B．be very young at age |
| C．do snow mountain hiking and ice climbing |
| D．afford expensive sports equipment |
The author gives the example of the computer programmers in the same office to show _______.
| A．young people love risks |
| B．they can’t afford golf |
| C．they don’t like to play basketball or watch sports on TV |
| D．extreme sports are gaining popularity |
The main idea of this passage is _______.
| A．extreme sports are certainly not for everyone |
| B．the benefits and costs of extreme sports |
| C．the development of extreme sports |
| D．what makes extreme sports so popular |
There is no doubt that to study abroad gives you an excellent opportunity to learn things which are very helpful in your career building. Today Canada has earned a good name in providing quality education and safe healthy environment for its students. That is why more than 130,000 international students enroll（登记入学） every year in famous Canadian universities. It is an ideal education destination and gives students a unique experience of education and its versatile（多样的） arts and culture. Canada spends a lot on education and is ranked the highest in G-8 countries.
To study in Canada is very cost effective. These universities are affordable compared to other universities in the world such as in the US, New Zealand and UK where cost of education and living is very high. According to a survey in 2006, “Canada offered the lowest tuition fees（学费） for foreign students compared to UK and Australia.”
The low rate of crimes and the peaceful safe environment of the country also attracts a lot of international students to Canadian universities. Canada has 92 universities and 175 community colleges and university degrees have three levels—Bachelor’s(学士), Master’s（硕士） and Doctoral（博士）.
A Bachelor’s degree in Canada is for three or four years’ full-time study depending on the nature of the program you are doing. On the other hand, a Master’s degree consists of two years of study. For a Doctoral program in Canadian universities, you require a minimum （最低/小的） of three to four or sometimes five years of research and study.
You can also find many diploma and certification （认证） program in Canadian universities where the time is generally one year. Some of the Canadian universities are well-regarded worldwide and the degree and diploma obtained from these Canadian universities are recognized globally and promise bright future. After the completion of studies, a person could also find great job offers in Canada itself. International students require a work permit to work on campus. How long will you spend at least in total if you want to finish your Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Canada?
| A．11 years | B．9 years | C．8 years | D．7 years |
What advantages does Canada have to attract foreign students according to the passage?
①Quality education ② Safe environment
③ Versatile culture ④ Bright job future
⑤ High scholarships ⑥ Low tuition fees
| A．①②④⑤⑥ | B．①②③⑤⑥ | C．①③④⑤⑥ | D．①②③④⑥ |
What’s the author’s attitude towards studying in Canada?
| A．Favorable | B．Critical |
| C．Doubtful | D．Not mentioned |
What’s the best title for the passage？
| A．Canadian culture |
| B．The life in Canada |
| C．Benefits of studying abroad |
| D．Study in Canada — a unique experience |