A recent online poll (民意调查) asked kids what they hated most about school. “Classes are boring” came in first. “Too much homework” was a close second. Since all activities remain interesting for only so long, too much homework can lead to ennui. So, why are some kids getting homework overload? Teachers give two reasons. First, they say, the government now requires schools to meet higher-than-ever achievement goals for students. If students don’ t succeed, the school faces punishment. Second, many parents want their children to be able to get into the best colleges and universities. These parents believe homework is a way to ensure that students are learning as much as possible.
People who favor homework argue that it can have many beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits. Homework can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. It can help develop their independent learning and responsible character traits(性格特征).
But studies show that middle school students doing 60 to 90 minutes of homework a night are doing just as well in school as those doing more than 90 minutes. And homework can have negative effects. Homework can deny students access to leisure(休闲) activities that also teach important skills. For example, sports teams teach cooperation and leadership, in addition to helping kids stay physically active. Another problem with too much homework is that parents can get too involved. They can put too much pressure on their kids.
So what should be done? Good homework assignments in the proper amount will have positive effects. Too much homework, however, will have negative effects. The bottom line: Students in grades three through six should do no more than 30 to 60 minutes of homework each night.The underline word “ennui” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “______” .
| A．relaxation | B．fancy | C．boredom | D．intelligence |
According to Paragraph 1, the kids are given much homework because ________.
| A．schools are evaluated in terms of students’ achievement. |
| B．the government doesn’t take the problem seriously |
| C．it is a good way to improve the students’ ability |
| D．time will be made full use of in this way |
Those who are in favor of homework think that _______.
| A．homework helps students to succeed |
| B．it’s good for kids to help each other in learning |
| C．parents are a great help when kids do homework at home |
| D．homework helps children to learn independently |
Which of the following is NOT a negative effect of too much homework?
| A．Kids have little time to do leisure activities. |
| B．There is a lack of sleeping time. |
| C．The chances of learning other skills are lost. |
| D．Kids are under pressure from their parents. |
The author’s purpose in writing the passage is _______.
| A．to criticize the school teachers |
| B．to attract public attention to kids’ study |
| C．to offer more help to today’s kids |
| D．to call for proper amounts of homework |
I cry easily. I cried when a boy in the film suffered from an incurable disease. I cried when an athlete brok
e a world record.
One night my wife and I were going to dinner at a friend ' s．As we went towards the house, I noticed a car pulling out from the sidewalk．Just ahead, another car was waiting to back into the parking space．But before he could do so a yellow car came up from behind and sneaked into the space．
While my wife went ahead into our friend' s house, I stepped into the street．
“Hey,” I said, “this parking space belongs to that guy．” I gestured towards the man ahead, who was looking back angrily．At that moment I was feeling pretty manly．
“ Mind your own business!” the driver told me．
“No,” I said．“You don' t understand．That fellow was waiting to back into this space．”
Things quickly heated up, until finally he jumped out of the car．My God, he was extremely large．He grabbed me and shook his rock of a fist at me．I tasted blood．I was terrified．
Almost in a panic, I ran to my friend ' s front door．As a former Marine （海军） , as a man, I felt absolutely embarrassed as my wife and 
friends asked me what had happened．All I could say was that I had had an argument about a parking space．They were sensitive and let it go at that．
Perhaps half an hour later, the doorbell rang．For some reason I was sure that the huge man had returned for me．My blood ran cold．My hostess got up to answe
r it, but I stopped her．I knew I had to face up to my fear．
I opened the door．There he stood．“I came back to apologize,” he said in a low voice．“I am ashamed of myself．The Brooklyn Navy Yard where I've worked for ten years is closing．Today I got laid off．I' m not myself．I hope you’ ll accept my apology．”
I remembered that after I closed the door, I stood there for a few minutes alone with tears in my eyes．What did the author do when a yellow car drove into the parking space?
| A．He beat the driver． |
| B．He blamed the driver． |
| C．He asked the driver to apologize． |
| D．He ran to his friend' s house for help． |
What do we know about the yellow car' s driver?
| A．He was rude and liked fighting． |
| B．He was famous for his bad temper． |
| C．He lost his job and felt terrible that day． |
| D．He tried to get the author' s parking space． |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．I became quite calm． |
| B．I felt extremely frightened． |
| C．I couldn't move with cold． |
| D．I was too angry to say anything． |
What kind of person is the author?
| A．Direct and serious． | B．Humorous and open - minded． |
| C．Honest and ambitious． | D．Warm - hearted and understanding |
Hi guys! I’m Lucy the ladybird and while I’m very much of a lady, I’m not actually a bird but a glowing red bettle(甲虫)with decorative black spots.
I’m a friendly little bug, to be honest, and simply like to be close with my pals as long as they handle me very gently. I don’t bite humans but I do sink my teeth into aphids (蚜虫) which, unlike me, are very harmful to all the plants. I milk the aphids just like people do with cows and I milk them dry of all the sap (汁) they have got from your poor plants. I’m a real gardeners’ friend and love helping out around the place by pollinating (授粉) flowers, tidying up plants’ fallen leaves and helping to turn them into nice rich fertilizer to feed everything both above and below the soil, and naturally, being so attractive to look at, we are perfect living garden decorations.
One thing I can not tolerate 
is all that poisonous pollution from vehicles, garbage burning and other environmentally unfriendly acts that occur in the cities every single minute of the day and night. Pollution of any kind really chokes me to death, so these days, I only live in clean countryside areas, particularly cool ones where it rains and everything grows fresh and green from spring right through to autumn. In winter, when the weather is too cold for me to bear, then I find a nice place to sleep until the snow has gone and I can come back out to play.
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that although I am not a bird I do have wings and can fly for short distances. So if you pick me up and let me run up and down your hands and arms, then please don’t frighten me by screaming if I suddenly decide to take off!What makes Lucy the Ladybird suffer most?
| A．Heavy rains. | B．Cold weather. |
| C．Air pollution. | D．Aphids. |
Which aspects about the ladybird are talked about in the passage?
a. its appearance b. its influence on plantsw8G
c. its habitat d. its food
e. the origin of its name
| A．a; c | B．a; b; c | C．a; b; d; e | D．a; b; c; d |
What do we know about the ladybird?
| A．It belongs to the insect family. |
| B．It does harm to all growing plants. |
| C．It lives on the liquid of plants. |
| D．It can fly a long distance. |
This passage is probably _______.
| A．a self –introduction by a lady named Lucy |
| B．description of a ladybird’life |
| C．letter of praise for a gardener |
D．a speech made by a woman on ladybirds |
The Rolls Royce logo(标志)consisting of the two Rs clearly stands for Rolls and Royce, the two founders of this manufacturing company.In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a “Royce”, in his Manchester factory in 1904.
He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls in a Manchester hotel on May 4 that year, and the pair agreed a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold by Rolls. A clause(条款) was added to the contract, saying the cars would be called “Rolls Royce”.
The current Toyota logo consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular(成直角的)ovals represent a relationship of trust between the customer and Toyota. These ovals combine to symbolize the letter “T” for Toyota. The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota’s technology and unlimited potential for the future.
The Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is a South Korean company manufacturing automobiles. Their automobiles are available in many countries around the globe. In 2003 it was South Korea’s largest car maker and the world’s seventh largest car maker. The Hyundai logo appears to be an H (symbolizing Hyundai). The oval shape indicates the company’s global expansion and the ‘H’ is symbolic of two people (especially the company and customer) shaking hands.
The Mercedes-Benz logo represents one of the most famous brands in the world. The Benz logo is a three-pointed star that represents its domination of the land, the sea, and the air. The famous three-pointed star was designed by Gottlieb Daimler to show the ability of his motors for land, air and sea usage. It was first seen on a Daimler in 1909, and was combined with the Benz laurel wreath in 1926 to symbolize the union of the two firms. Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers. Which company’s logo is a symbol of two people shaking hands?
| A．Rolls Royce’s | B．Toyota’s | C．Hyundai’s | D．Mercedes-Benzs. |
According to the text, _______.
| A．Rolls Royce was founded in 1884. |
| B．Toyota is having difficulty expanding its technology |
| C．Hyundai has the same long history as Mercedes-Benz |
| D．Mercedes-Benz originally produced motors |
Which company’s logo stands for both the manufacturer and the seller?
| A．Rolls Royce’s | B．Toyota’s | C．Hyundai’s | D．Mercedes-Benz’s |
We can learn from the text that_____.
| A．the ovals in the logos have the same meaning |
| B．Hyundai is SouthKorea’sseventh largest car maker |
| C．the three-pointed star of the Mercedes-Benz logo was first seen in 1926 |
| D．the Mercedes-Benz logo is a symbol of the combination of two companies |
For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers．(慢跑者). They were there all the time—early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You'll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day
more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exe
rcise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding (沉重的脚步) running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just
the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ________.
| A．jogging became very popular |
| B．many people were encouraged to jog |
| C．Alex organized an army of joggers |
| D．jogging provided a chance to get together |
The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ________.
| A．heart attacks | B．Back problems |
| C．hundreds of people | D．physical weaknesses |
From the author's experience, we can conclude that ________.
| A．jogging can help people keep fit |
| B．many physical problems result from jogging |
| C．not everyone enjoys jogging |
| D．jogging makes people feel great |
How did it make you feel when you learned that KFC’S Beijing restaurants pulled three more items from their menus last week? There were fears that the items may have contained the cancer-causing coloring Sudan I．Do you have any desire to take the food provider to court because it feeds you something dangerous?
After all，the law supposedly gives people the right to fight for their rights．But some experts have said it might not be so wise to take the company directly to court．
Qiu Baochang，a lawyer in Beijing，suggested that consumers not take the company directly to court．“In addition to the high costs，consumers’complaints are unlikely to win unless they can prove they have had the banned dye at KFC，”—Qiu explained．
One problem for those wanting to take action against the fast food chain is that few customers ask for or keep receipts(收据)．And，this must be the first step．
If they can prove that their health has been damaged by KFC，they can cue(控告)the company．But that would be almost impossible to do so because the Sudan I damage is a long-term effect and is not immediately apparent.
A KFC spokesperson said on Monday that the company was confdent of being able to handle customers’complaints，“We will obey legal procedure if We raceive any complaints.”Why did KFC’s Beijing restaurants pull three more items from their menus?
| A．Because the company was afraid to handle customers’complaints. |
| B．Because coloring Sudan I may have been contained in those items. |
| C．Because the KFC’s restaurants were accused ofselling poisonous food to the customers． |
| D．Because these items were no longer popular with the customers. |
The reason why experts suggested not taking the company directly to court is that.
| A．the costs will be high |
| B．consumers can’t prove food contained Sudan I |
| C．consumers can’t prove the food at KFC damaged their health |
| D．all of the above |
This passage most probably appears in.
| A．a notice． |
| B．a book on cooking． |
| C．a story book． |
| D．a newspaper． |
What is the general ieda of the passage?
| A．KFC’s Beijing restaurants pulled three items from their menus last week. |
| B．How the consumers dealt with the KFC problem. |
| C．How KFC handled the customers’s complaints. |
| D．Consumers never forget to ask for or keep receipts. |