Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend about 3000 independent public schools called charter schools.
Charter schools are self-governing. Private companies operate some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receive tax money just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.
Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools. Local, state or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate students. But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools. One teachers’ union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.
The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government’s delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in regular public schools.
Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand improved student progress.If a private company wants to operate a charter school, it must .
| A．try new methods of teaching | B．prove its management ability |
| C．obey the local and state laws | D．get the government’s permission |
Charter schools are independent because .
| A．they make greater progress | B．their class size is smaller |
| C．they enjoy more freedom | D．they oppose traditional ways |
What’s the government’s attitude toward charter schools?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Subjective. | D．Optimistic. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．More students choose to attend charter schools. |
| B．Charter schools are better than traditional schools. |
| C．Students in charter schools are well educated. |
| D．People have different opinions about charter schools. |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．charter schools are part of the education system |
| B．one-on-one attention should be paid to students |
| C．the number of charter schools will be limited |
| D．charter schools are all privately financed |
TAIBEI － Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island’s “China rush”, seeking education on the Chinese mainland．
According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998．Although no latest official numbers were available,” Netbig.com said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with well over 1000 entering mainland campuses last year.
The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities. “Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market,” Netbig.com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．“I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people,” said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master’s degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best environment for such studies.
A journalism graduate student, surnamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since “there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there”. “They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations,” said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies. A Netbig.com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.
At present, Chinese Taibei doesn’t recognize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates（证书）from selected universities.One Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland because ___________.
| A．Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later |
| B．the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan |
| C．there are many famous universities for them to choose |
| D．what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future |
Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children _______.
| A．could receive better education | B．could do well in the business operations |
| C．could learn more about the policy there | D．could make more friends there |
The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to __________.
| A．Netbig.com | B．the Chinese job market |
| C．a Chinese education on the mainland | D．the university |
The author wrote the article to tell us ______________.
| A．the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year |
| B．more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland |
| C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan |
| D．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field. |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland |
| B．The number of Taiwanese students going to study on the mainland will surely be increasing in the next few years. |
| C．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland. |
| D．Chinese Taibei doesn’t help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying in the mainland |
Knowing how to communicate well needs very personal attention between you and another human being. Is there a better way to learn how to communicate effectively? Yes, there is. Please follow the 3 basic steps below.
1. Relax and Breathe.
Whether it’s a business meeting or the first date, the first thing you must do in order to communicate is to relax. When you relax you are in control. You control your reactions and your reactions do not control you. Breathing is central to relaxation. Take a few deep breaths and your body will begin to be more at ease. This will help you apply what you already know about how to communicate well.
2. Think and you will be prepared.
Have you ever heard the old saying, "think before you speak"? Well, it is true. By thinking ahead about how the conversation might flow, you will be better prepared, more at ease and more confident.
3. Follow the flow of the conversation.
If you are uncomfortable, being silent will only make it worse and make the other person uncomfortable as well. So when all else fails, follow through with small talk until a common topic appears.
A good way to keep a conversation going is to ask the other person questions. People love to talk about themselves and if you do this they will think very highly of you. Learning good communication skills is not something out of reach. If you make an effort, you will succeed.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Preparation and Conversation | B．How to Communicate with Anyone You Meet |
| C．Personal attention and Communication | D．How to Keep Your Conversation Going |
If you want to talk with others successfully, the most important thing you should do is.
| A．to follow the flow of the conversation. |
| B．to take as many deep breaths as possible |
| C．to make a good preparation for the conversation |
| D．to keep calm and relax yourself fully |
Why does relaxation play an important part in your good communication?
| A．Because it can help you put your communication skills that you know into use. |
| B．Because it will help you organize good sentences for your communication. |
| C．Because it can help you keep excited and react quickly in the communication. |
| D．Because no one likes to communicate with a nervous person. |
If you feel uncomfortable, you’d better .
| A．keep silence in order to give the chance of speaking to others |
| B．talk small things until you find a topic you both like |
| C．speak freely so as to run across the topic you like |
| D．ask questions which you are interested in |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?
| A．Good communication skills can be learned if you try. |
| B．You will be good at communication if you try. |
| C．Not all people can learn good communication skills. |
| D．Communication skills can be improved easily. |
She handed me a five dollar bill through the car window, then turned and walked away. I don’t know her name, nor where she was going ,but I know I will never forget that stranger who generously saved me from a lot of frustration（挫折） and prevented me from walking a mile or more to my destination.
That day My husband, Leo, and I were already a half hour late for an important conference . We had taken the wrong fork in the expressway, and found ourselves stuck in traffic that was blocked for four miles due to a serious accident.
Just then, one tapped on the window on the passenger side. It was a short, medium-built woman, who was all bundled up in jacket and scarf, wearing jeans and boots. Surprised, I was reluctant, at first, to roll the window down. What could she possibly want? I lowered the window just enough to hear what the woman had to say. Through the window, she shoved a five dollar bill. “I don’t have change,” she said, “but here is an extra five dollar bill. Use it to pay for your parking spot.” I was floored! Was this woman, whom I’d never seen before, actually giving me this much money? Yes, that was exactly what she was doing! She wouldn’t take the check I offered her for the cash. She just walked away.
What kept the author and her husband from arriving on time?
| A．They had a traffic accident. | B．They took a wrong turning. |
| C．Their car broke down half way. | D．The traffic was heavy on the freeway. |
The problem the author had in parking their car was that .
| A．they couldn’t pay for parking by check |
| B．neither of them had money with them |
| C．they had no five-dollar bill |
| D．there was no parking lot near the conference |
The underlined word “dejected” probably means .
| A．embarrassed | B．confused | C．disappointed | D．worried |
.Why was the author unhappy to roll down the window?
| A．She was frustrated for coming too late. |
| B．She feared the woman would beg for money. |
| C．She didn’t expect to be disturbed（打扰）by strangers. |
| D．She didn’t know what the woman would do. |
The author writes the text to .
| A．warn readers of the difficulty with parking |
| B．express her gratitude to the stranger |
| C．talk about her bad experience |
| D．call on readers to lend a helping hand if possible |
The idea of sailing west to reach the riches of the East Indies and the Asian mainland was much in fashion with cultured Europeans during the late fifteenth century. Learned people agreed that the earth was round: their only questions were how long and how dangerous would be a trip to reach the Orient. Christopher Columbus, the son of an unknown weaver, and himself a weaver of ambitious dreams, made his historic voyage to the New World in 1492. He didn't go to school very much, but be learned to read and write Spanish during his travels. He also taught himself Latin because all the geography books were written in Latin. Sailing with a tiny fleet of three ships, the Santa Maria and two smaller ships, the Pinta and the Nina and a crew of ninety sailors, be found the thirty-three-day crossing easier than his nearly-decade-long effort to find royal sponsors willing to support it. The trip drew not only on his own skills as an expert ship's captain, but also on his ability to plan such an expedition, obtain governmental approval and financing, and finally, demonstrate its success so that such explorations could continue. He tried for years to get King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to supply him with ships and money. Finally they agreed, but he made more demands. He wanted to be made a knight, admiral of the Ocean Sea. He wanted to be the viceroy(总督)and governor general of all lands he would discover. Also he wanted one-tenth of everything he found of value in the new lands. The explorations that followed Columbus-those of Cabot, Verrazano, Cartier, and many others-benefited from a new maritime technology borrowed from Arab sailors and from a variety of new vessels (船，舰) such as the light-weight caravels employed by Columbus. Sailors also perfected sails and various types of riggings that gave ships added stability and greater maneuverability(可操作性)on the open seas. And when leaving sight of the coast, new navigational aids-charts, compasses, and astrolabes-permitted them to determine their position with some, though not perfect, accuracy. Columbus himself made a total of four voyages to the New World but he did not become rich as he had hoped. At the end of his life he only had a pension the king and queen had given him because he was the first to reach the New World. He spent the last few months of his life in bed because of the pain of arthritis(关)． Columbus not only discovered a New World, but led the way for other explorers. What was the dream destination of Europeans in the late fifteenth century?
| A．The oriental countries. | B．The East Indonesia. |
| C．The Old World. | D．The African mainland. ． |
What preparations did Columbus make for his first voyage to the New World?
①He planned the expedition thoroughly.
②He spent almost ten years in looking for sponsors.
③He gathered a great many ships.
④He hired 90 sailors.
⑤He demonstrated his success of former far-reaching explorations.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①②④ | C．①④⑤ | D．②④⑤ |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Christopher Columbus was an ambitious explorer |
| B．he was a geologist with ambitious dreams |
| C．Columbus became extremely wealthy after making a total of four voyages |
| D．he was an unsuccessful canvasser(游说者) |
What equipment aided the sailors in locating relatively more accurately?
| A．A variety of new vessels. | B．The light-weighted caravels. |
| C．Various types of riggings. | D．Charts, compasses and astrolabes. |
In the passage, the author mainly tells us ________.
| A．the tragedy of Columbus's life as a whole |
| B．Columbus's life story and his achievements |
| C．Columbus's exploration to the East Indies and Asia |
| D．how Columbus arrived in the New World ． |
MEGADIM, Israel (AP)-The worst forest fire in Israel's history on Thursday destroyed one of the country's few forested areas, killing at least 36 guards on their way to rescue prisoners there, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation (疏散) of thousands. The fire ran through the Carmel forest in Israel's Galilee, reaching the coastal city of Haifa, jumping from place to place in the forest. The fire broke out around midday and quickly spread and was still burning out of control as midnight approached. Investigators (调查者) supposed that the fire could have been set accidentally, or it might have been a criminal act, but pretty much ruled out (排除) some sort of attack by a Palestinian group. “This is a huge disaster，” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “The government is using all means to control the fire.” He said some countries such as Cyprus, Italy, Russia and Greece agreed to provide backup. Most of the dead were Prison Service guards racing through the fire toward a prison to evacuate the prisoners, most of them Palestinians. A tree fell across the road, blocking their bus. Some guards were burned alive inside, while others died as they tried to escape. Fourteen bodies were found near the burnt bus 10 hours after the fire started. The fire heavily damaged one of Israel's few large forests, made up of natural growth and planted areas, a favorite place for camping and a home for dozens of species of wildlife. Forestry workers tried to evacuate animals from the fire. The forest recovered slowly from a fire in 1989, but experts said Thursday's big fire was many times worse. Some Prison Service guards died when they tried to ________.
| A．control the running prisoners | B．put out the fierce forest fire |
| C．get away from the burning bus | D．save the guards trapped in the fire ． |
According to the investigators, which of the following might be the cause of the fire?
| A．Prisoners set the fire purposely. | B．The fire broke out all by itself. |
| C．A Palestinian group did it. | D．The fire was started by accident. |
We learn from the text that ________.
| A．all of the dead were Prison Service guards |
| B．the forest once suffered a fire in the 1980s |
| C．the animals didn't suffer from the fire |
| D．the fire caused 50 deaths altogether ． |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．the worst forest fire in Israel's history |
| B．the actual cause of the worst ever forest fire |
| C．the damage caused by the forest fire |
| D．the government's efforts in controlling the fire |