Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy．They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school．Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life．Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students，it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning．
Unfortunately，a number of students killed themselves．Others are after co
mfort in using drugs．Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime．Many of them have tried very hard 
at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents．Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study．
It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way．Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children．To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special school called juku-cram schools．These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams, they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools．
Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bag．Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society．They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student．They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are gi
ven neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens．A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because
| A．they work very hard | B．they find they can't do well at school |
| C．they feel unimportant | D．they are under too much pressure |
Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to
| A．kill themselves | B．seek comfort |
| C．disappoint their parents | D．make trouble |
What should be the best title of the passage?
| A．Students' Pressure |
| B．Students' Problems |
| C．The Negative Impact(影响) of Japanese Education |
| D．The Trouble in Japanese Schools |
In juku-cram schools students ．
| A．are taken good care of by the teachers | B．feel no pressure |
| C．are trained to pass exams | D．can learn a lot of useful things |
In ordinary Japanese schools， ．
| A．there are strict rules | B．students feel safe |
| C．students can do anything | D．learning is not important |
The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the start of 2004.These food-price increases, combined with increasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even affect political stability. Practical solutions to these problems do exist, but we’ll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.
Here are three steps to ease the current food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis. The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity. Malawi’s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion altogether.
Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels. The U.S. government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol(乙醇) changed from corn. There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods but tree crops, grass and wood products, but there’s no case for the government to pay to put the world’s dinner into the gas tank.
Third, we urgently need to weather-proof the world’s crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond—which collects rainwater to be used in dry weather—can make the difference between a good harvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.
| A．cost each of the developed countries $10 billion per year |
| B．aim to double the harvest in southern African countries in a year |
| C．decrease the food prices as well as the energy prices |
| D．give poor farmers access to fertilizer and highly productive seeds |
| A．it is not wise to change food crops into gas |
| B．it is misleading to put tree crops into the gas tank |
| C．we should get alternative forms of fuel in any way |
| D．biofuels should be developed on a large scale |
| A．slow down but not to stop economic growth |
| B．develop tree crops, grass and wood products |
| C．achieve economic growth and political stability |
| D．act now so as to relieve the global food shortage |
It is common to have difficulties sleeping during the day. Humans are naturally wired to sleep best at night and be awake during the day. However, modern work schedules require some people to try to accommodate the unnatural schedule of shift(轮班)work — being awake at night and sleeping during the day.
In order to make this adjustment, you need to pay special attention to your sleep environment and your preparation for sleep. If shift work is a necessary part of your work life, here are some suggestions that may help.
Arrange to sleep uninterrupted in a quiet, dark room. This means you may have to turn off or unplug your phone, hang darkening curtains on the windows or wear a sleep eye mask, and train your family and friends to leave you alone while you sleep.
Fit in a nap(小睡). When your daytime sleep period is too short, taking a short nap of less than 30 minutes just before work or on a break has been shown to improve alertness and enhance performance.
Develop and follow a sleep routine. It's best if you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Try not to vary this too much at weekends. Your body likes routine.
Take extra care to make healthy choices. You may be tempted to reach for unhealthy foods or nicotine to stay awake or alcohol to try to sleep. But ultimately these choices are more harmful than helpful.
If you have tried all these things and are still having problems getting enough quality sleep during the day, talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist. Sometimes medications(药物治疗)may be helpful and safe. In other cases, there may be an underlying sleep disorder that needs to be addressed.
| A．persuade workers to have a good sleep. |
| B．advise night workers to keep healthy |
| C．encourage workers to do day work |
| D．help night workers to sleep well |
| A．A suitable amount of alcohol to help sleep. |
| B．A regular life on weekdays and weekends. |
| C．A dark room without phones to sleep in. |
| D．A break for sleeping anytime during the day. |
| A．If he suffers from a sleep disorder for the first time. |
| B．If a good sleep environment is greatly needed for him. |
| C．If he fails to get quality sleep through his own efforts. |
| D．If he has the problem of falling asleep in the daytime. |
| A．night workers need a long time to fall asleep |
| B．constant breaks at work help to improve performance |
| C．it is difficult to create a good sleep environment |
| D．night work requires people to adjust their body clocks |
When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight to the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.
“Storm chasing ” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby , especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.
Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on earth.”
| A．head straight for the center of the storm |
| B．get into the car for safety |
| C．wait patiently for the storm to develop |
| D．collect information about a coming storm |
| A．not to drive in a heavy rain |
| B．to do it in an organized way |
| C．not to get too close to a storm |
| D．to spend more time on it in summer |
| A．storm chasing costs a lot of money |
| B．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting |
| C．efforts in storm chasing are well paid |
| D．a storm presents the greatest show on earth |
| A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment |
| B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms. |
| C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world. |
| D．Storm chasing is only fit for young people. |
MOOCs, an acronym（缩写）for “massive open online courses,” mark an important, possibly revolutionary, development in education．These courses are online, free of charge, and open to anyone in the world who has a laptop and an Internet connection．Moreover, they are mainly offered by elite universities like Standford, Berkeley, Harvard and Columbia．
The courses, like normal college courses, are sequenced（按顺序排好）by difficulty, enabling students to progress from beginners to the advanced．The courses cover not only a broad range of technical subjects such as math and computer science, but also courses in the social sciences and the humanities （人文学科）．
Though MOOCs are not offered for credit and degree, many students enroll in the courses for real skills or knowledge which they can put to some practical use．Some students even form online study groups, or in-person groups with students who live nearby．
The format seems superior to the traditional school class．The average quality of the lecturer is much higher, because students do not have to stick with a mediocre（平庸的） lecturer．
Besides, students can scroll back or forward—in short, they can go at their own learning speed, which they cannot do in a live lecture．And, of great importance, they do not have to travel anywhere to attend an online lecture．One can obtain a first-class American college education wherever he or she lives and however little money he or she has．
There is a problem of asking questions of the lecturer in a class of ten thousand students, but some MOOCs have solved it by allowing students to post questions online for a vote, and only the most popular questions are put to the lecturer．
In a knowledge era, lifelong learning is not confined to a traditional classroom．Of course, students enrolling in MOOCs cannot be compared with those who are in traditional universities, but we need to rethink what a “students” is．
Students in MOOCs are very clever, have work experience, and in many cases, have already developed a set of core competences．Moreover, they also offer unique international perspectives that would be the envy of any school classroom．Which of the following statements is NOT true about MOOCs?
| A．The word “MOOCs” is an acronym for “Massive open online campuses．” |
| B．Anyone who has a computer and an Internet connection can take MOOCs． |
| C．MOOCs are usually offered by first-class universities in the world．． |
| D．MOOCs may be a breakthrough in the development of education． |
Students enroll in MOOCs mainly for ________．
| A．credits | B．degrees | C．skills | D．study groups |
MOOCs seem to have an advantage over traditional school classes because________．
①the average quality of the lecturer is higher
②students can travel to many places when taking MOOCs
③students can learn at their own study pace
④there is a problem of asking questions in traditional classes
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①③ | D．②④ |
Which word is the best to describe students enrolling in MOOCs?
| A．Mediocre | B．Creative |
| C．Practical | D．Competent |
Which of the following words does not have the same meaning as the underlined word “perspectives”in the last Paragraph?
| A．Vision | B．View | C．Outlook | D．Scenery |
At 4：53 pm．on January 12, United Nations aid worker Jens Kristensen was at his desk reading documents on the third floor of the Christopher Hotel, which served as UN headquarters in PortauPrince, when he felt a tremor（震颤）．Four seconds later, the earthquake hit．
“In a split second, I considered whether to run for the door or hide under my desk，” says Kristensen, 48．“The door was closed, and I thought that maybe it was too far and I would be caught under falling debris（杂物）, so I hid under the table．” A bookshelf topped onto his desk, protecting him from being crushed by rubble and trapping him in a tiny pocket．“I was confined as if in a small coffin，” he says．It was so dark, and it didn’t matter if his eyes were open or closed．He used the light from his mobile phone to see around him．He found, among other items, a jar of instant coffee．“I had no food or water, only the coffee to suck on if I needed it．”
At about 6：30 am．on January 17, an oil leak silenced the building’s generators, and Kristensen was able to hear muffled voices above where he was buried．“I thought, I was too tired to bang and shout．But then I realized, I had to take every chance．This could be one．” So he called out．Six hours later, Kristensen saw his rescuers’ faces．“It was so amazing．I felt I had received a second birthday，” he recalls．
Dehydration（脱水） and pains but with only a bruise and a scratch, Kristensen took three days to recover．The UN lost more than 90 people in Haiti．But Kristensen says that the outpouring of love helps heal the pain “The genuine happiness of people toward me here has been wonderful．You feel part of a larger family．”When the earthquake struck, Jens Kristensen decided to ________．
| A．read documents in the office |
| B．stay under the desk |
| C．run out of the room quickly |
| D．catch the falling debris |
What protected Jens Kristensen from being injured by falling bricks?
| A．The bookshelf． | B．The desk． |
| C．The door． | D．The pocket． |
When Jens Kristensen heard the voices, he came to know that ________．
| A．he couldn’t have the chance to survive the earthquake |
| B．his parents arrived here to save him at once |
| C．he was able to ask for help from rescuers |
| D．he was so tired and he couldn’t say anything at all |
According to the last paragraph we can know that Jens Kristensen felt ________．
| A．fortunate | B．grateful | C．popular | D．courageous |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The rescuer’s day |
| B．An aid worker’s life |
| C．A dangerous adventure |
| D．Kristensen’s experience in an earthquake |