For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas. Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh..
Apples are different in color, size and taste. The color of the skin may be red, green or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart(酸的). Generally, sweet apples are tasted fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce(果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree.It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are_______.
| A．grown in France | B．sold everywhere | C．very big | D．quite sweet |
Cold winter weather is good for________.
| A．the growth of apple trees | B．producing large apples |
| C．improving the taste of apples | D．the increase of water in apples |
China, France and the United States are considered to_______.
| A．be small producers of apples |
| B．be large producers of applesauce |
| C．have the longest history in apple production |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple production |
The word yielded in the last sentence means________.
| A．improved | B．increased | C．produced | D．sold |
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seed. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores (胚芽). Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．plants are important for life |
| B．plants cannot grow without air |
| C．there are many plants in the world |
| D．we can’t live without water |
plants can make food from _______.
| A．flower, water and air | B．water, sunlight and air |
| C．air, water and soil | D．air, sun and light |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Of all living things animals are most important. |
| B．Spores are seeds. |
| C．All fruits of flowering plants have seeds. |
| D．Without plants, man will die out |
This passage may be taken from ______.
| A．a medicine book | B．a novel |
| C．a science magazine | D．an experiment report |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west coast. Even since she was a young girl, she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn’t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school, she went on to college. Four years later, she received her bachelor’s degree (BA) in English and her teaching certificate(证书). Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers, Mrs. Blake takes more classes; she hopes to get a master’s degree ( MA ). With an MA, she will receive a higher salary and if possible, she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school, like that in many high schools in the United States, is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period, which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M, Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make our examinations, check assignments at all, Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school?
| A．four years | B．eight years | C．twelve years | D．twenty years |
According to the article, which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university?
| A．a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree |
| B．a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| C．a master’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree – a master’s degree |
How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far?
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
Which of the following sentences is not true?
| A．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United States. |
| B．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality. |
| C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degree. |
| D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of may other high schools in the states. |
Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or slid should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn’t, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75% of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92% of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.This article is mainly about .
| A．the lives of school children | B．the cause of arguments in schools |
| C．how to analyze youth violence | D．how to deal with school conflicts |
From Paragraph 2 we can learn that .
| A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime |
| B．a small conflict can lead to violence |
| C．students tend to lose their temper easily |
| D．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight |
Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
| A．To make clear what the real issue is. |
| B．To get ready to try new things. |
| C．To find out who is to blame. |
| D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match. |
After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that .
| A．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools |
| B．there was less student cooperation in the classroom |
| C．there was a decrease in classroom violence |
| D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved |
The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to .
| A．complain about problems in school education |
| B．teach students different strategies for school life |
| C．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence |
| D．advocate teaching conflict management in schools |
An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society, and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”Professor John Beath’s lectures are .
| A．given in a traditional way |
| B．open to both students and their parents |
| C．connected with the present situation |
| D．warmly received by economics |
Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their .
| A．greater stability | B．higher pay |
| C．fewer applications | D．better reputation |
In the opinion of most parents .
| A．economics should be the focus of school teaching |
| B．more students should be admitted to universities |
| C．children should solve financial problems themselves |
| D．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened |
According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters .
| A．have access to better equipment | B．wiser in money management |
| C．confident about their future careers | D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Universities have received more applications. |
| B．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty. |
| C．Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students. |
| D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection. |
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate （照亮） me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell...” We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to .
| A．share poems and stories with her friend |
| B．go to her friend’s house regularly |
| C．become serious about her study |
| D．learn from her classmates at school |
In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means .
| A．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared |
| B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London |
| C．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us |
| D．we parted with each other in London |
According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend .
| A．call each other regularly | B．enjoy writing to each other |
| C．have similar personalities | D．dream of meeting each other |
In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to .
| A．seek professional help | B．break the silence |
| C．stay with her best friend | D．be left alone |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Noble Companions | B．Remarkable Imagination |
| C．Lifelong Friendship | D．Unforgettable Experiences |