Kuss Middle School serves students in Fall River, Mass. , a former mill town that has struggled economically for decades. Students at Kuss have struggled, too, usually falling short of making the academic progress required under the No Child Left Behind law.
Then, last year, the school experimented with extending the school day. Teachers got paid at a higher hourly rate.
Students weren't thrilled at first with leaving school at 4:15 p.m. instead of at 2:20 p.m. But the added hours gave them more time for physical education and let them select special interest classes. By the end of the year, student scores had risen by enough to enable Kuss to make the progress required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The only surprise is that more districts haven't lengthened school schedules set decades ago to accommodate (适应) a farm economy rather the information economy of today.
| School days The USA ranks 36th of 40 industrialized nations in average weekly instructional time. Selected countries: 1) Thailand--30.5 hours 2) Korea--30.3 hours 7) China--26.5 hours 14) France--24.6 hours 15 ) UK--24.6 hours 16) Mexico--24.2 hours 23 ) Japan--23.8 hours 26)Canada--23.6 hours 36)USA--22.2 hours 40)Brazil--19 hours |
New research suggests the time is ready for a change:
Matched against 39 other developed countries, the United States is near the bottom in the rankings of average weekly instructional time in school. Measured over 12 years, students in the top-scoring countries spend the equivalent of a full extra year in school.
US students perform poorly on math and science tests compared to their international peers, according to a US Education Department comparison released earlier this month. In math, American 15-year-old scored near the bottom among the study's 30 developed countries.
Most countries that boost the number of minutes spent on math instruction find pay offs in improved math scores, according to a study released this month by the Brookings Institution. Small in creases in the school day are more effective than a longer school year, the report concluded.
The most encouraging news about the benefits of extending the school day comes from Massachusetts, where an experiment with 10 schools, including Kuss, appears to be working. Those 10 schools lengthened their instructional days by 25% and boosted their state scores in math, English and science at all grades.
Perhaps the concept won't work everywhere. Certainly, it won't instantly be popular. But it's obvious that a problem exists or that adding class time seems to help.What is the main idea of the above passage?
| A．Experiments with extended school hours produce academic gains. |
| B．Kuss Middle School sets a good example for US education. |
| C．Academic progress has achieved under the No Child Left Behind law. |
| D．Information age calls for more instructional lime at all schools. |
A longer school day is suggested for the following reasons except that _________.
| A．students from many developed countries spend more time at school |
| B．American students do a bad job at science subjects |
| C．teachers are paid at a higher rate with time added |
| D．a longer school day works better than a longer school year |
Which statement is true of Kuss Middle School?
| A．Kuss Middle School lies in where a farm economy is changing to an information one. |
| B．Kuss Middle school has joined the federal "No Child Left Behind" progrann |
| C．Neither teachers nor students are happy with the longer school day. |
| D．Adding class time functions at Kuss Middle School. |
The writer has expressed ____________.
| A．a positive attitude towards adding school time |
| B．a negative attitude towards adding school time |
| C．a changing attitude towards adding school time |
| D．a right attitude towards adding school time |
Dad came in the midnight. We heard every sound, but we pretended to be asleep.
Next morning he looked weak and thin, sitting in a chair by the kitchen fire. The light of the fire shone through his long empty sleeve. Everything went as usual. Grandma found something to do in the bedroom. Grandpa went out for some water. Mother, with her back to us, was getting the cakes ready for breakfast.
But nothing was right. When grandma came out of the bedroom, she walked on tiptoe. When grandpa came back, he said nothing about the weather. At breakfast Mother passed us the fruit and said something, but her voice was too high.
At last my sister, Lou, pushed back her chair. “It’s your turn to wash the dishes.” But I had washed the dishes the night before. I said nothing because it was not right to quarrel in front of Dad just home with the empty sleeve.
“It is your turn,” Lou said again. I looked at her in surprise.
“It is not,” I said because I suddenly remembered Mother had told us to go on as usual.
“Children, children,” Mother said in a quiet, glad kind of voice.
And Dad was smiling because he felt at home at last.What do you know happened to Dad in the story?
| A．He was badly ill. | B．He had a long journey. |
C．He drank too much. |
D．He lost one of his arms. |
The familywhen they saw Dad’s empty sleeve.
| A．was too surprised to do anything | B．felt sad and cried a lot |
| C．tried not to show their feelings | D．showed no worry at all |
From the story, we know.
| A．the two sisters often quarreled about who should wash the dishes |
| B．the family liked seeing the two sisters quarrelling after breakfast |
C．Dad loved the two sisters very much though they oft  en quarreled |
| D．Mother told the two sisters to quarrel with each other the night before |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
| A．The Quarrelling Sisters | B．Dad Was Back |
| C．After the Accident | D．An Empty Sleeve |
Children, especially boys, tend to idealize their fathers when they are young．Every little boy wants to grow up to be just like his father, and every little girl thinks her father is the smartest man on the earth．It’s not very easy to be a good father, but it’s not that difficult either．Children will truly enjoy spending time with their fathers, not just when they are kids, but even when they are adults．
Not all children communicate well with their fathers．Communication is often left to mothers, while fathers dispense advice as and when necessary．Don’t expect all conversations to centre around the dinner table．Go to your children’s bedrooms and talk to them about school, their teachers or their friends．Remember that the conversation cannot be one-sided．When your children open up to you, you also need to open up to them．
If your children come home from school feeling upset, go up to them and ask them what is the matter．And if it is something which seems to you to be a silly reason to be upset, don’t voice your opinion．It may be silly to you, but to your children it is important enough．S
o don’t wave the topic away by telling them not to bother about such stupid things．Simply discussing their problems with them will help them feel better．
Don’t shy away from having discussions about your teenage children’s love lives．Generally speaking, your children are definitely not going to discuss intimate details with you．Try to let them know that you are relaxed about topics on love．Tell your children how you met your wife．It is perfectly normal for children to go through feelings for the opposite sex as they grow up, and by keeping the topic closed for discussion, you are only shutting them off from discussing their feelings with you．All they will do is turn to their friends．To children their fathers are usually very _____．
| A．kind | B．great | C．serious | D．strong |
From the second paragraph we can know that _____．
| A．some children don’t like their fathers at all |
| B．talking with children around the dinner table is unnecessary |
| C．it is better for fathers to communicate more with their children |
| D．mothers should communicate less with their children． |
Suppose your children are worried about something you should _____．
A．have a talk with themＢ．express your opinion
C．keep silentD．let them aloneWhich of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “intimate” in Paragraph 4?
| A．Public | B．Personal | C．Strange | D．Serious |
Beijing ?（13, July） China sent up a new data relays atellite （数据中继卫星）, Tianlian I -02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in South-western Sichuan province．The new satellite will promote the country's satellite communication network for space docking （对接）．
The satellite was launched on a Long-March-SC carrier rocket at 11:41 p．m．, sources at the centre told Xinhua News Agency．The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary transfer orbit （地球同步转移轨道）.
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite is the country's second data relay satellite．The first, Tianlian I -01, was launched on April 25．2008．
The two satellites will form a network to improve communications between China's spacecraft and bases on Earth, according to the centre．They will also be used to help the nation's first space docking, scheduled for the second half of this year．
As planned, China will launch space module Tiangong-I （天宫1号）, which was designed as a platform that will dock with an unmanned spaceship, Shenzhou, for the county's first space-docking mission this year．
Two more Shenzhou spaceships will dock with Tiangong-I next year, and one will be manned by two or three astronauts, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office, which was the main user of the Tianlian I series data relay satellites．
"The new satellite can cover a greater area to track and command the country's space vehicles m low-Earth orbits, such as manned spacecraft and remote sensing satellites, from a higher position m outer space．Only three satellites of this kind are needed to form a global communication network, and China has two now．" Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of Space International, said．
The satellite could also equip astronauts with real-time communications, which will benefit the county s future manned space flights, he said．What is the main purpose to send up Tianlian I -02 ?
| A．To test the function of a Long-March-SC carrier rocket． |
| B．To carry some astronauts into space to do some research． |
| C．To send more information and clearer pictures to mobile phones on the earth． |
| D．To promote the country's satellite communication network for space docking' |
From the passage we know.
| A．one more such satellite is needed to form a global communication network |
| B．the satellite was developed by China Manned Space Engineering Office |
| C．it was less than three years since China launched its first date relay satellite of this kind |
| D．the satellite could help track and command space vehicles in orbits because it's lower in position |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the news report?
| A．Shenzhou Ⅷ is a manned spaceship． |
| B．Tiangong- I will dock with three Shenzhou spaceships next year． |
| C．the satellite is of great importance to China's space exploration． |
| D．china’s first ^a06 docking will be done in the second half of next year. |
The best title of the passage could be _____．
| A．China Launched a New Space Shuttle |
| B．China's Plan for Space Exploration |
| C．China’s Progress m China's Space Exploration |
| D．New Satellite Helps China's Space Exploration |
Nuclear weapons（核武器）were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead．Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day.
The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear．A number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender （投降）．It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade （封锁） by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few Weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated（展示）．
All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now．The meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is that .
| A．the two cities were badly damaged after they were bombed |
| B．the two cities suffered because Japan would not agree to end the war |
| C．the terrible effects of dropping nuclear weapons on these cities can still be felt |
| D．the end of the war with Germany meant Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would suffer |
According to Paragraph 2, a blockade would have been successful because
| A．Japan had to import most of its natural resources |
| B．Japan would not be powerful enough to beat a blockade |
| C．an attack would probably destroy Japanese resources within a few weeks |
| D．the Americans could defeat Japan's navy since it was short of resources |
The last paragraph tells that.
| A．the writer probably expects us hot to argue with his opinion |
| B．the nuclear bombs must have been dropped on Tokyo, too |
| C．the real reasons for' the decision may never have been made clear |
| D．the writer has not done much research on this subject to establish the facts |
What would probably be discussed in the paragraphs that follow?
| A．The reasons why Japan chose to surrender． |
| B．The writer's attitudes towards the Japan's surrender. |
| C．People's different opinions about dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities． |
| D．Some of the possible reasons for dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities． |
Money is all surrounding us．Every day, we see it, use it, and it is on the tip of our tongue．Did you ever stop to take into consideration where the money that you carry around every day comes from?
Making new money is a very unique job and no easy task．It has up to 65 steps When the money in circulation（流通） gets dirty and worn out, it is replaced with new money The old money is taken from banks and brought to places where it is destroyed Usually, the old money is burned．The burned money is replaced by new paper money
If old money is being replaced, then new money is printed in a place called a mint（造币厂）．Large sheets 01 paper are printed with many pictures of some currency （流通货币）．These large sheets are cut into individual bills．The individual bills are then put together in big stacks and then sent to banks．
Sometimes the mint will make a new bill with a new picture （portraits of statesman and places of interest are favoured） or a new colour. It is not easy for the government to make a new bill. It takes a long time, and there are many steps to go through before a new bill can be sent to banks, first, people m the government decide that a new kind of bill is needed Then, they ask and artist to design the new bill．A different artist cuts the new picture into a soft piece of metal called a die．The dies are made and put onto large printing machines．Then, very special paper is used, which no one but the mint can have．Along with this special paper, the mint also prints currency using special colours．After the dies print the new currency onto the paper, the bills are cut, stacked, and sent off to the banks．From the passage we know that
| A．banks make new money |
| B．it takes 65 procedures to make new money |
| C．mints decide what kind of bill is needed |
| D．old money that is not used is forever stored in a special place |
We can infer from the passage that a die is ____
| A．something for dead people |
| B．a special machine that prints the money |
| C．a special piece of paper that the money is made from |
| D．a piece of metal that puts the picture on the money |
'Which of the following shows the right order of dealing with new money?
①New money is printed in a mint．
②Bills are cut from large sheets of special paper．
③New money is sent in large amounts to banks．
④The government decides to make new money．
| A．①②③④ | B．④③②① | C．④①③② | D．④①②③ |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The reason for making new money． |
| B．The processes of making a new bill． |
| C．The amount of new money needed． |
| D．Things used．to make new money or a new bill． |