In the United States, children start school when they are five years old. In some states they must stay in school until they are sixteen. Most students are seventeen or eighteen years old when they leave secondary（中等的） schools. There are two kinds of schools in the United States: public schools and private（私立的）schools . Most children go to public schools. Their parents do not have to pay for their education because the schools receive money from the government. If a child goes to a private school, his parents have to get enough money for his schooling. Some parents still prefer private schools, though they are much more expensive. Today about half of the high school students go to universities after they finish the secondary school. A student at state university does not have to pay very much if his parents live in that state. But many students work while they are studying at universities. In this way they develop good working habits and live by their own hands. Children can go to school at the age of four in the U.S.
Most parents prefer to send their children to private schools in America.
About fifty percent of high school students can go on to universities after they leave the secondary school today.
Lots of American students go to universities by depending on their parents completely (完全地).
The passage is mainly about American education.
“I believe you’re the right person to write an advice column (专栏) for the students called Dear Amy!” Jenny, editor of the school newspaper, said to Andy, who finally agreed to accept the job if Jenny promised not to tell it to anyone else.
At first it wasn’t too bad. Most of the letters he received were interesting and quite easy to answer. Then came a letter from a person named Joe.
“Dear Amy,” it began, “I’m in real trouble. I’ve wanted to be a songwriter all my life, but my parents don’t even let me take music lessons. I have a guitar, but they both get angry if I play. I’ve tried explaining, but they didn’t listen. I feel sad. Should I run away from home? Maybe that will make my parents agree.” The letter signed “Joe”.
Andy thought about this letter for a long time. Should he advise someone to run away from home? Probably not. But didn’t Joe have a right to be a songwriter if he wanted to? Andy thought hard, but couldn’t think out a good answer. Andy couldn’t sleep. He just worried about poor Joe.
At a bar a few days later, Eleanor, a girl in Andy’s maths class, sat down next to him and asked, “ What’s wrong with you? You look a little worried.”
“I guess I do,” said Andy.
“If you get a problem, why don’t you try writing to Dear Amy about it?” asked Eleanor.
Andy sighed. But Eleanor continued, “In fact, I guess Dear Amy is rather busy with other problems. She still hasn’t answered the phony letter I wrote her last week. You’d better read it — it may even make the most hard-hearted person cry! It was supposed to be from a songwriter named Joe.”Andy might be ______.
| A．an editor of the school newspaper |
| B．a songwriter |
| C．a maths teacher |
| D．a doctor in the school |
It’s clear that Dear Amy ______.
| A．helps students who want to run away from home |
| B．answers letters from the students |
| C．writes songs for the students |
| D．meets readers at a bar |
It seemed to be easy for Andy to do the job until _____.
| A．he changed his name |
| B．he received a letter signed “Joe” |
| C．he met Eleanor at a bar |
| D．his name was well-known |
In the letter Joe says that ______.
| A．his parents don’t know about music |
| B．his classmates don’t understand him |
| C．he would stay away from his parents |
| D．he would obey his parents |
The underlined word “phony” means “______”.
| A．unreal | B．boyish | C．popular | D．favourite |
The nine-year-old Marc Yu is called Little Mozart. He is too short to reach the pedals (踏板) of a piano. Marc, from California, USA, says, “The problem is that my legs aren’t straight enough, so I have to get very close to the piano.”
Marc’s 34-year-old mother played Beethoven’s CDs to him when she was pregnant . Marc started playing the piano at a birthday party when he was only two. While the other children were singing “twinkle, twinkle, little star …”, he walked over to the piano and started playing the song. It astonished his mother, because that was the first time he’d been near a piano. Marc gave his first public performance, playing Beethoven, at six, the same age as Mozart. After that concert, Marc won a ￡225,000 university scholarship.
At present he practices the piano eight hours a day. He also studies part-time at the famous Colbum Music School in Los Angeles, and flies once a month to China for lessons at Shanghai Music School. Marc says, “I like playing the piano because it makes me have a lot of different feelings —sadness, excitement, happiness and so on. I like playing difficult pieces, especially those that my teacher says I shouldn’t.”The nine-year-old Marc Yu is from .
| A．China | B．France | C．Canada | D．the United States |
Marc played the piano at the age of for the first time.
| A．two | B．five | C．six | D．nine |
According to the passage, the underlined word “astonished” means “” in Chinese.
| A．使……理解 | B．使……担心 |
| C．使……惊奇 | D．使……难过 |
At present Marc practices playing the piano .
| A．once a month | B．eight hours a day |
| C．in his free time | D．only on weekends |
What Marc says in the last paragraph tells us that .
| A．he likes challenges | B．he doesn’t like challenges |
| C．he is afraid of challenges | D．he wants to be happy and famous. |
There is one word you must learn before you visit the USA. That is “Freeze”. Remember it has a special meaning besides the usual one. It means “stand still and don’t move”. Often policemen use it when they are ready to use their guns. If one doesn’t obey the order and moves, he or she will be shot to death.
One evening in Los Angeles, someone rang the bell of a house. It was a dangerous area at night, so the owner of the house took his gun with him when he answered the door. He opened the door and saw a strange man. But the man turned round and started walking away from the house. The owner cried: “Freeze”, but the young man went on walking without obeying the owner’s order. The owner thought he was trying to run away, so he shot at the young man and he was killed.
Later, police found that the dead man was a Japanese student who was studying in Los Angeles University. He went to visit a friend, but unluckily could not remember the number of the house. When he realized he went to the wrong house he turned round and left. He didn’t know much English and so didn’t understand the word “Freeze”. What a lesson we should get for this!According to the article, what does the word “Freeze” mean?
| A．It means “be covered with ice”. | B．It means “very cold”. |
| C．It means “dangerous”. | D．It means “Stand still, or I will shoot you”. |
The meaning of the word “owner” here means _________.
| A．a policeman | B．a man with a gun |
| C．a person who possesses something | D．a dog of a house |
Which of the following is right?
| A．When you hear the police or someone say “Freeze” in the USA, you must stop moving. |
| B．Don’t ring the bell of anyone’s house in the USA at night. |
| C．At last, the police found the dead man was a thief. |
| D．The owner of the house was put into prison. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．Police say “Freeze” when they are going to use their guns. |
| B．The story happened in Los Angeles in the morning. |
| C．The dead man was a Japanese student. |
| D．The dead man couldn’t understand the meaning of “Freeze”. |
What’s the best title of the article?
| A．A Japanese Student | B．American Police |
| C．Freeze | D．The Owner of a House |
The right name is important in the business world. All you have to do is think of the names for some of the products you buy every day and you’ll agree that the name and the product are connected in everyone’s mind.
In many countries, successful trade or brand(商标) names are protected by law so that other companies cannot make the same product by copying. Businesses register(注册) a company or a product name with the government. In fact, more than 1,000 product and company names are registered every hour. Many companies spend a lot of money to find the right name for their products. A good example of this is in the car industry. Some successful names for cars have powerful associations(联系). The Ford Mustang and the Jaguar are only two examples of choosing the names of animals that are fast and strong.
When a U. S company decides to sell its product in another country, it has to make sure that the product name translates(翻译) properly. When Coca-Cola introduced its soft drink to China, it looked for the right name. It wanted a name that would do two things. One was to present its image in Chinese and the second was to be close to its first brand name—Coke. It took some efforts before finding the right word — which sounds similar and translates as “happiness in the mouth”. Asian company names are not new to the United States. The brand names of Samsung and Sony have been successful. Finding the right brand name is a big business. Asian companies that sell to foreign markets pay to find a name that will connect with its customers. There are even naming companies that offer help in inventing product names. These companies can charge up to $100,000 a word for their good names. But it’s worth it. Successful companies know how important the right brand names are for their development.Why are trade names protected by law in many countries?
| A．To make companies pay for naming service. |
| B．To help people choose the best products. |
| C．To present good images of the products. |
| D．To prevent good images from being copied. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A. Many companies care about the cost of finding the right names.
B. Creative trade names can help companies to have a larger sale.
C. The government often does business with naming companies.What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The Importance of Right Brand Names | B．The Development of Names |
| C．The Rules of Naming | D．The Methods of Choosing Names |
Have you heard about “Survival Holidays”? It is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.
The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.
Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled by adults, which causes many problems. Children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge(挑战). Children are not comfortable with danger. Even slight danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.
Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in dangerous times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives. What does “Survival Holidays” mean according to the passage? ________.
| A．Holidays to escape from danger |
| B．Winter holidays for survival challenge |
| C．Summer holidays in the great outdoors |
| D．Holidays in lonely places for exciting activities |
Which children may take part in “Survival Holidays”?
| A．Poor children. | B．Rich children. |
| C．Children from cities. | D．Children from the countryside. |
In a “Survival Holidays” , children can NOT learn ________.
| A．how to get good grades |
| B．how to stay calm in different times |
| C．how to keep safe when they meet danger |
| D．how to work in a team |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．No companies can hold “Survival Holidays”. |
| B．Parents can take part in “Survival Holidays” with their children. |
| C．Parents like to keep their children busy with activities controlled by adults. |
| D．Children don’t listen to their parents any more after “Survival Holidays”. |