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.
III阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Al Herpin died at the age of 95.
41.The main idea of this passage is that _______
A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
C. large numbers of people do not need sleep
D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep
42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______
A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true
B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep
C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. to cure him of his sleeplessness
43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____
A. needed no sleep at all B. needed some kind of sleep
C . was too old to need any sleep D .often slept in a chair
44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______
A. his mother's injury before he was born
B. his magnificent physical condition
C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
D. that he hadn't got a bed
45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______
A. a common one B. very healthy C. one that could be cured D. a rare one
The legal age for drinking alcohol(酒)in the United States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series ,we look at alcohol policies at American colleges and universities .These policies differ from school to school, as do enforcement(实施) efforts. But many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 170,000 students in higher education. Each year,1,700 of them aging eighteen to twenty-four die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. More than 600,000 are injured under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another student who has been drinking. These numbers, from a 2007 report, are on a government Website:collegedrinkingprevention.gov.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is binge （无节制的狂热行为）drinking ,having four or five drinks or more in a short period of time. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking is normal often overestimate how much other students really drink .A person can die of alcohol poisoning.
At the University of Oklahoma, new policies went into effect after a nineteen-year-old student died in 2004.He had been drinking heavily at a fraternity party.(男大学生联谊会)。
Now alcohol is banned from all fraternity and sorority(女大学生联谊会) houses and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. And they must provide for transportation to and from off-campus parties. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The policies govern behavior on campus and off. With a first violation, students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second” strike”, they have to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. A third strike means a suspension(暂被停学) for at least one semester.
Since January of 2005,633 students have had a first strike.30 have had a second strike----and has been suspended. An official at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change behavior and the culture at the university.
67.In American colleges and universities,______.
A. no students under age 21 drink alcohol
B. many students under age 21 drink alcohol
C. rules about drinking alcohol are almost the same
D. rules about drinking alcohol are different from state to state
68.Each year in the United States ,about 1,700 young college students aging 18 to 24 die______.
A, from alcohol poisoning
B. from traffic accidents
C. under the influence of alcohol
D. from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries.
69.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The deaths or injuries of the students are all because they have been drinking.
B. The numbers from collagedrinkingprevention.gov are not accurate at all.
C. The death of a 19-year-old student influenced policies of the University of Oklahoma.
D. No student organizations can offer alcohol at events in the US now.
70.Which of the following can be the best title of this article?
A. Studying in the US: Rules about Alcohol
B. The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol in the United States.
C. Policies of Drinking Alcohol in the US Differ From School to School
D. New Policies about Alcohol Drinking At the University of Oklahoma.
San Francisco, a leader in urban recycling, is preparing to turn dog waste into energy.
Norcal Waste System Inc., the city’s largest garbage company, plans to test collection carts(回收车)and collection bags in a city-center park which is popular with dog walkers.
A city study found that almost 4 percent of all the garbage picked up at San Francisco homes was from animal waste, Norcal Waste spokesman Robert Reid said. San Francisco has about 120,000 dogs.
“The city asked us to start a program to recycle dog waste in order to cut back adding more waste in landfills(废渣埋填池) “,Reid said.
Dog waste will be poured into a methane digester(沼气池),and the methane it gives off will be collected and burned to make electricity or to heat homes.
“Dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste a year,” Will Brinton, an environmental scientist said.
“As much as we love them, our pets leave a lot of fertilizer behind them in yards and on the street but that can be a major source of contamination of groundwater,” Brinton said.
European cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna are starting biology programs to turn waste into gas ,he said.
San Francisco runs a great program to recycle bottles, cars, paper and other rubbish and now two-thirds of its garbage needn’t be carried to landfills .The city’s goal is a 75 percent drop by 2010 and zero new waste in landfills by 2020.
63.San Francisco will plan to use dog waste for making __________.
A. fertilizer B. gas C. electricity D. methane
64.What does the underlined word “ contamination” mean?
A. Increase B. Reduction C. Flow D. Pollution
65.What can we infer from the passage?
A. San Francisco is short of electricity
B. San Francisco has done a lot of in rubbish recycling.
C. Fewer people will keep dogs as pets in San Francisco
D. There will be no rubbish by 2010 in San Francisco
66.The passage is mainly about_______.
A .San Francisco ‘s new policy for pet keepers
B. San Francisco ‘s new plan for recycling
C. how to keep a city clean
D. how to deal with rubbish
| Album Name |
Introduction |
“Master of the Chinese Dulcimer” -----Xu Pingxin |
Xu Pingxin shows skillful technique and spellbinding(迷人的)musical expression on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin) .His musicianship has won him international praise and he is considered one of the most successful yangqin players of the world. |
| “The Silk String Quartet(丝弦四重奏组)Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music” |
Cheng Yu (pipa),Sun Zhuo (guzheng),Hu Bin (erhu)and Zhou Jinyan (yangqin)present traditional as well as modern pieces. The music describes moonlight scenes ,river landscapes, court dances and more. |
“Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng” ---ChengYu |
Beautiful music as well as lively pieces played on pipa ,guzheng, xiao and dizi. Cheng Yu is an internationally famous pipa and guzheng virtuoso(名家),former soloist(独奏者)at the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing .Information about the artist, the music and the instruments in English, German, French and Spanish. |
TsengYungching----“Magic of the Chinese Flute” |
Beautiful Chinese flute (dizi) music played by world-famous flute virtuoso Tseng Yungching Accompanied(伴奏) on traditional Chinese instruments. |
Zhou Yu----“The Art of the Chinese Erhu” |
During his great musical career Zhou Yu won many awards in China and internationally .Here he presents an album of Chinese music, played on erhu with orchestral accompaniment: pipa, yangqin, ruan, and others. This is a very beautiful album with the typical “mystical ,dreamy” mood of Far Eastern music. Very enjoyable! |
59.If you are interested in playing the Chinese flute what will you probably buy?
A."Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng" and "Magic of the Chinese Flute."
B."The Silk String Quartet” and "Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng."
C."Master of the Chinese Dulcimer "and The Art of the Chinese Erhu."
D."Magic of the Chinese Flute "and "The Silk String Quartet."
60.Whose information is introduced in four different languages?
A. Xu Pingxin’s B. Cheng Yu’s C. Tseng Yungching’s D. Zhou Yu’s
61.From the passage ,we can know Tseng Yungching is ______.
A. a famous pipa and erhu player B. a skillful guzheng virtuoso
C. a famous yangqin player D .a world-famous flute player
62.Which album has the typical mood of Far Eastern music?
A. Zhou Yu ----“The Art of the Chinese erhu.”
B.“ The Silk String Quartet----Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music.”
C.“ Master of the Chinese Dulcimer”---Xu Pingxin
D. Tseng Yungching-----“Magic of the Chinese Flute.”
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出最佳选项。
The most frightening words in the English language are,“ Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said,” I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket .Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”
I looked down the counter(柜台)and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the blank screen. Then I asked her,” What do you do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly or not.”
“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That ‘s right, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.
“I have no idea .Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes , sometimes for two hours. There is no way we can find out without asking the computer , and since it’s down, it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no spare computer ,I said, “ Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They’re still flying aren’t they?”
“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington.” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to .Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, pointing at the dark screen.” Only ‘IT’ knows . ’IT’ can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines .The words soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down Some people went, some people started to cry and still others kicked(踢) their luggage.
56.The best title for the passage is ______.
A. Asking the computer B. The computer of the airport
C. The most useful words D. When the computer is down
57.What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?
A. She could answer the passengers’ questions B. She could do nothing
C. She could sell tickets D. She could write out tickets
58.The last paragraph suggests that _____.
A. modern computers won’t be down
B. computers can take the place of humans
C. computers may bring trouble to people
D .there will be great changes in computers