BEIJING --Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the same independent exam -- besides the national one -- to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in 2011.
The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
"This will help lighten the students' load, otherwise they must take several exams for different universities," said the announcement.
Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
China's college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot (试用) the reform by using their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students.
Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their own exams.
Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as conducive (有助的) to better understanding where the students' talents lie.
Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams as they often apply for a number of universities.
To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline (2010--2020) released in July this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams.If students want to be admitted to the seven prestigious universities , they can ______。
| A．only pass the interview. |
| B．only take the national exam. |
| C．only take the independent exam. |
| D．either take the national exam or the take the independent exam. |
What's the purpose of students sitting one independent exam to gain entrance to the seven universities ?
| A．It can reduce students' load to take several exams. |
| B．The universities will have the same standard to test students. |
| C．There will be less trouble marking students' test papers. |
| D．It can avoid fierce competition among these universities. |
If students pass the independent exam , they will ______.
| A．take the national exam. |
| B．have one or more interview chances. |
| C．be admitted to one of the universities. |
| D．he trained to be adapted to universities life and studies. |
What is the advantage of universities selecting students according to independent examinations?
| A．Students needn't take the national exam. |
| B．Students' education cost can be lowered. |
| C．Students abilities and talents can be better found. |
| D．It can encourage middle schools to recommend more qualified students. |
In fine department stores everywhere, you’ll see the light-blue boxes of Estee Lauder. These popular cosmetics (化妆品) are sold in more than 130 countries. Who’s the woman behind this worldwide cosmetics empire (帝国)? Estee Lauder herself, of course. This businesswoman became, for a time, the world’s richest self-made woman. Her secret? “I didn’t get there by dreaming about it,” she would say. “I got there by doing it.” Estee was born in the early 1900s in Queens, New York. Her father ran a hardware (五金器具) store, and from him Estee learned how to be a successful salesperson. Estee learned from her uncle John Schotz, too. He made creams in a small laboratory behind the family’s house. Estee watched him. Soon, she was experimenting with her own cosmetics. She put lipstick (唇膏) and creams on any female relative who’d let her, until her annoyed father told her to stop.
She married Joseph H. Lauder in 1930, and continued her experiments. She would cook dinner for the family, and at the same time, make her face creams. Then she began to sell her products in a Manhattan beauty shop.
In 1960, Estee began to sell her products in Europe. After many tries she succeeded and began selling her products in some stores in London. But France proved even more difficult. The store Galleries Lafayette refused to sell her products. So Estee “by accident” dropped a bottle of youth dew (香水) on the floor in the cosmetics department. As the scent spread around the store, customers came over and asked to buy it. The store soon began selling Estee’s products.
Estee led her company until 1982, when her son Leonard took over the business. Until her health worsened in the mid-1990s, she continued to attend the opening of a new store wherever in the world. She died on April 24, 2004. Estee Lauder’s talent as a saleswoman was extraordinary. Her son Leonard said, “There was never anyone who could sell like she could.” All who worked for Estee appreciated her special talent.Which of the following can best describe Estee Lauder?
| A．A successful cosmetics saleswoman. |
| B．A beautiful shop owner in London. |
| C．A popular cosmetics producer in France. |
| D．A founder of a cosmetics company in America. |
What was Estee Lauder’s father’s attitude towards her when she tried her products on her female relatives?
| A．He supported her and helped her. |
| B．He didn’t care about what she did. |
| C．He was very angry at her for what she did. |
| D．He was proud of what she did. |
Estee managed to get her products known to the French customers by dropping a bottle of youth dew on the floor in the cosmetics department of a store ______.
| A．on purpose | B．with the store’s permission |
| C．by accident | D．carelessly |
The underlined word “scent” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.
| A．Estee’s product | B．a customer’s praise |
| C．a pleasant smell | D．the broken pieces of glass |
What’s black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you’re like most young people, you probably don’t read the newspaper at all.
In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18 to 34-year-old said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less.
“There’s a revolution (革命) in the way young people get news,” says media consultant Merrill Brown.
Just a generation (一代人) or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There’s high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places.
You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what’s going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one.
So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today’s kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact (互动) in real time, even when they’re reading about serious problems.
If newspapers can’t find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely.
Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack (缺乏) of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there’s more freedom. You can look through the things you’re interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people’s opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views.This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．the disappearing newspaper | B．different news sources |
| C．the future of the Internet | D．the new technologies |
From the survey, we can see that ______.
| A．TV has become the major source of news |
| B．newspapers are no longer the major source of news |
| C．more than half of the 18-to-34-year-old visit news sites daily |
| D．new technologies have replaced the traditional one |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned about the disadvantage of newspapers?
| A．High price. | B．Lack of changes. |
| C．Slow speed. | D．Lack of interaction. |
The author of the passage would probably think the future of newspapers is ______.
| A．attractive | B．bright |
| C．hopeless | D．uncertain |
When I was in my fourth year of teaching, I was also (and am still) a high school track and field coach (田径教练). One year, I had a student, John, who entered my class when he was a junior (三年级学生). John changed to our school from Greece, and seemed to be interested in athletics, so I encouraged him to join our track team. I explained to him that even though he had never taken part in it before, I did believe that he could do well in any event, and I would be willing to coach him at whichever ones interested him. He accepted the offer, and began to work hard at every practice.
About a month later, I had found out from other sources that John was a first-class tennis player, winning various junior awards in his home country. I went to him asking, “John, I really appreciate that you came out for the track team, but why didn’t you play tennis instead? It seems that would interest you a lot more, since you’re so good at it.”
John answered, “Well, I like tennis, but you told me that you believed in me, and that you thought I could do well in track, so I wanted to try it for that reason.”
From then on, I often remember my student’s reply. I told it to a friend and she suggested I write it down to share somewhere with more teachers. No matter how critical (不满的) students can be of themselves, I’ve found that a simple “I trust that you can do it!” can go a long way!According to Paragraph 1, the author seems to think more about John’s ______.
| A．PE marks | B．self-confidence |
| C．interest in sports | D．state of health |
Why did John take part in the track team?
| A．He had been an excellent runner. |
| B．He was encouraged by his teacher. |
| C．He liked running more than tennis. |
| D．He had no tennis coach to train him. |
The purpose of this passage is probably ______.
| A．to build a close teacher-student relationship |
| B．to introduce a new way of sports training |
| C．to explain the value of sports and games |
| D．to show the importance of encouragement |
The passage is mainly written for ______.
| A．teachers | B．parents |
| C．students | D．players |
Bringing art into hospitals
The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play a significant role in helping patients to get better.
As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country's best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2,500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages, waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience(观众).
A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 500 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art? Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the out-patients waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain's first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.
The effect is striking. Now in the corridors and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colors, playful images(形象) and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.Some best artists of Britain have been called in to ________
| A．set up new hospitals |
| B．make the corners of the hospital collect paintings |
| C．Bring art into hospitals |
| D．help patients recover form serious illnesses |
After the improvement of the hospital environment, _________
| A．patients no longer take drugs to kill their pains |
| B．patients don’t have to stay long in hospital |
| C．patients need fewer pain killers when they suffer from an illness |
| D．patients feel happy in hospital |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________
| A．the role of hospital environment is important |
| B．hospital artists have done more than doctors |
| C．exhibitions attract more audience in hospitals |
| D．the hospital is a better place for people |
When I was young I wanted to be a model，so when a national contest was staged，I convinced my parents to take me for an audition(试演). I was selected and told I had potential．They said that for only$900 I could attend a weekend event which dozens of the most prestigious(有声望的)modeling agencies from around the world would attend．At l 3，my hopes of fame and fortune clouded all judgment and I begged my parents to let me go．We have never been rich，but they saw my enthusiasm and agreed．
I imagined being signed by some famous model companies．For months，any boredom or disappointment I faced was pushed aside because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model．I thought I would grace the covers of famous magazines!
Of course，I wasn’t signed，but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5'9”(about 1．75metres)I could be a success．I prayed for a growth spurt(冲刺)because I could not imagine giving up my dream．I made an appointment with a local modeling agency and the agent demanded$500 for classes．$500 for a photo shoot and $300 for other expenses．My parents only agreed after hours and hours of me begging．
The agency sent me out on a few auditions，but with every day I didn’t receive a call，I grew more depressed．The final straw came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling．There was an open call in New York City．We spent hours driving and another few hours waiting．only to be told that I was too short．I was devastated(极度不安的)．
Years later，I realized that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn’t actually love modeling，just the idea of it．I wanted to be special and 1 was innocently determined to reach an impossible goal．The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future．What’s the main reason why the author wanted to be a model?
| A．She won a national contest． |
| B．She wanted to get reputation and wealth． |
| C．She was urged by some modeling agencies． |
| D．She had full potential to be a successful model． |
What’s the author’s parents’attitude toward her dream?
| A．Encouraging． | B．Worried． |
| C．Doubtful． | D．Enthusiastic． |
What was it that made the author end her attempt to become a model?
| A．Her parents were strongly against it． |
| B．She realized that it was impossible for her． |
| C．Even a local modeling agency turned her down． |
| D．She realized that she didn’t actually love the idea of modeling. |
The underlined phrase‘'The final straw”probably means __________ .
| A．the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, etc |
| B．the final result that she was admired by the model company |
| C．the final audition given by the famous agency |
| D．the decision that she made at last not to be a model any more |