The UK's education system is ranked（排列） sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The two different education superpowers |
| B．The result of one report about education system . |
| C．The UK's education system is worst. |
| D．Finland and South Korea’S education system |
According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked in the world.
| A．2nd | B．3rd | C．4th | D．5th |
All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.
| A．At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia. |
| B．Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system. |
| C．The United States’ education system is one of the best. |
| D．There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea. |
What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．比较 | B．结果 | C．研究 | D．考试 |
What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.
More than half of Americans do not take all their vacation days，even though they think they need one more holiday. And nearly a third of workers who take a break check their emails from the boss every other day and some even keep in touch hourly.
“We’re workaholics(工作狂)’，”said Samuel Nahmias.“From a general perspective，this has a lot to do with the economic situation in the US. More and more people are unemployed.”
With jobless numbers reaching 9.6 percent，people who have jobs seem to be unwilling to take time off.“It is not a great picture and that affects vacations. People are not going on vacation as much and those who are going on vacation are being more selective about where they are going.”Nahmias explained.
Unlike European countries where four or more weeks of holiday each year is normal,27 percent of people questioned in the poll said they had 6 to 10 days of annual leave and 20 percent had less than 3 days.With more people on unemployment lists in America，those still with jobs are facing more responsibility at work，which is reflected in their lack of time off.
The majority of workers who did not take time off mentioned too many responsibilities or stress at work，while some people said they simply did not have time to plan a holiday.“People are more conscious of what they are doing and when they are going on vacation because they don’t want to look bad in this situation，”Nahmias explained.
Technology is also playing a part with smartphones enabling workers to keep in contact in ways that were not possible before.It has to do with technology and the level of concern about what is going on in the office.Americans don’t take all their vacation days because ________.
| A．they devote themselves to the whole work |
| B．they are afraid that they may lose their jobs |
| C．they are asked to keep in touch with their bosses |
| D．they aren’t in need of holidays at all |
What does Nahmias mean by saying the underlined words in Paragraph 3?
| A．Travelling makes people unwelcome. |
| B．People are unwilling to go on short vacations. |
| C．The economic situation remains at a low point. |
| D．People are more selective about places of interest. |
We can infer from Paragraph 4 that ________.
| A．Unemployment rate is higer in America than that in Europe |
| B．European economic situation is better than that in America |
| C．Americans are more hardworking than Europeans |
| D．More people are losing their jobs in Europe |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Americans are all workaholic. |
| B．Many Americans don’t choose to take vacations. |
| C．Unemployment is going from bad to worse. |
| D．US economic situation becomes worse and worse. |
When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system（循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that ___.
| A．they must reach the age of 60 |
| B．they should be easy to make friends with |
| C．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months |
| D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February |
Doctors __________.
| A．encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively |
| B．point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming |
| C．believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer |
| D．have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming |
The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.
| A．they can remain young |
| B．it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter |
| C．they find it enjoyable and interesting |
| D．they might meet fewer troubles in life |
The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．a group of cold-water swimming lovers |
| B．the polar bears' life |
| C．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming |
| D．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club |
475 Riverside Drive
New York N.Y. 10027
Jan.15, 2011
Dear John,
I'm sorry you didn't get the part you tried out for in that play. I know how much you wanted to be in the play. Now you feel that maybe acting isn't the right future for you. I think you're wrong. You're a good actor. Do you remember when you played Caesar in your summer theatre group's play? You were excellent . People clapped(鼓掌)every time you walked on stage（舞台). Even the other actors loved you.
All actors have to get used to being turned down for a job. It's part of an actor's life. Even famous actors don't get every part they want. I think you should give acting another chance. You love it so much, and you're good at it. Don't be discouraged because you lose one part in the play. Wait a bit, and try for another one. After all , you can always give up some other time.
Love,
JaneJane wrote this letter because____.
| A．she wanted John to get a part in the play he was trying out for |
| B．she wanted to tell John that he shouldn't give up acting. |
| C．she wanted to tell John how to become an actor. |
| D．she was unhappy with John. |
Jane talks about other actors to show John that ____.
| A．they are as bad as he is |
| B．acting is a hard life |
| C．they sometimes get turned down for parts they want |
| D．they are lucky enough |
What does Jane think of John?
| A．He is a good actor, and some day he will be successful. |
| B．He is too easily discouraged to become a good actor. |
| C．He is a better actor than the person who has got the part. |
| D．He is as unlucky as the other actors. |
The person who wrote this letter probably ____.
| A．is an actress. |
| B．cares about John |
| C．wants to be an actress some day |
| D．envies at John's success |
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell(地狱). When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t master the flying skills, she would go to hell. She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what hell was.
When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a delicate(精美的) cage and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder. At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying on the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.
“What does hell look like?”
“Hell is a small well—decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.
What does the underlined word “master” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Miss. | B．Finish. |
| C．Follow. | D．Learn well. |
Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?
| A．Because she was lazy. |
| B．Because she didn’t like learning flying skills. |
| C．Because she thought she could go to hell by doing this. |
| D．Because she thought she didn’t have to learn flying skills. |
According to the passage, the bird at last found that .
| A．hell was a place full of water |
| B．hell was a place full of burning fire |
| C．there was no hell |
| D．hell was a small well-decorated cage |
Since I became a full—time freelancer(自由作家), I’ve found one of the hardest things to do is to get up early. Without the danger of being fired, there just hasn’t been a lot of motivation(动机) to get out of bed.
I’ve quickly learned that getting up is the key to success and better yet: waking up early is really just a habit.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must have strong reasons to get out of bed. Motivation is the only thing keeping us from lying in bed all day.
Writing down all the big and important things you’ll do the next day can give you an extra push in your goal to wake up early and quickly.
Don’t read in bed. Spending as little time as possible in bed will actually help your body realize that the bed is for sleeping, and not for lying awake for hours. The goal of reading in bed is just to help you fall asleep within 10 minutes.
Stress is one of the main causes of poor sleep. Relax yourself before getting into bed. Try controlled breathing exercises or yoga to lower your stress level.
These are just a few ways you can use to wake up earlier. Finding the best way is the most important, and it requires a little work. The key thing is that waking up should be a pleasant experience. If you can make waking up something you are looking forward to, you’re already halfway on your journey toward becoming an early riser.What do we know about the author?
| A．He has a full—time job outside. |
| B．He likes lying in bed all day. |
| C．He was once fired by a company. |
| D．He has difficulty getting up early. |
The author gives us some tips to help us .
| A．find the key to success |
| B．become an early riser |
| C．fall asleep within 10 minutes |
| D．relax after a day’s hard work |
Which of the following is NOT true about doing yoga?
| A．It is a good way to reduce stress. |
| B．It can help you sleep. |
| C．It can make you worried. |
| D．It will help you wake up earlier. |
What is the point of getting up early?
| A．Motivation. | B．Experience. |
| C．Success. | D．Ability. |