Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All this hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(填鸭式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self-study a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut-throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the l970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.The students spend the least time in school in .
| A．the UK | B．Finland | C．the USA | D．Korea |
According to the text, we think in Korea .
| A．students spend more time in studying |
| B．students are tired of studying in class |
| C．students leave their school early |
| D．students are always top scorers |
The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragragh 2 probably refers to .
| A．private evening tutoring | B．self-study at home |
| C．long-hour study | D．school study |
From Paragragh 3, we can know that .
| A．Finnish students are less stressed in study |
| B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain |
| C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia |
| D．British schools are less competitive than universities |
According to the author, the key to improving education is .
| A．the attitude | B．the schooling time |
| C．star pupils | D．new teaching approach |
Ticket price increases at HK Disney
Source：Xinhua | 02—05—2009 11：39
Hong Kong Disneyland announced on Tuesday it will raise weekday admission prices for mainland and overseas tourists by about 19 percent．But Hong Kong residents and tourists who purchase tickets through travel agents can still enjoy the old prices until June 30．
A one-day admission will cost HK $350($45)for adults and HK $250 for children aged up to 11 from Monday, the previous charges for weekends．Adults were previously admitted for HK $295 and children HK $210．
A Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman said the park does not expect the new pricing structure to have an immediate impact on attendances, as research shows guests choose when to visit the attraction based on time available rather than ticket prices．But the hikes(the rise of prices)drew immediate criticism from the industry．The greater tourism industry fears it may harm mainlanders willingness to visit Hong Kong．
Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the decision was unwise in the current financial climate．He also urged the company to rethink its decision, during an interview with Southern Metropolis Daily． On September 10 of 2009(weekday), Hong Kong residents and tourists will have to spendbuying three children tickets．
| A．HK $360 | B．$ 360 | C．HK $750 | D．HK $885 |
There is a family with five people, John，his father，mother，grandfather and grandmother．They are from America, John is eleven years old．If they visit the place on June 30 2009(weekday)，they will spend aboutin total．
| A．$212 | B．$ 1650 | C．HK $1400 | D．$1390 |
What can we infer from the passage?
A．Joseph Tung Yao-chung disagreed abo ut the ticket price increase at HK Disney． |
| B．Hong Kong Disneyland will make a lot of money by raising weekday admission prices for mainland tourists． |
| C．The Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman didn't like the new pricing structure． |
| D．Only tourists from mainland visit Hong Kong Disneyland． |
O．Henry，born in Greensboro，North Carolina，was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.His father，Algernon Sidney Porter，was a physician.When William was three years old，his mother died，and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt.William was a good reader，but at the age of fifteen he left school，and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm.After that，he moved to Houston，where he had a number of jobs，including that of bank clerk.After moving to Austin，Texas，in 1882，he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone.When the weekly failed，he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist(专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial(财务的)dealings.While in prison，William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret.His first work，Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899)，appeared in McClure’s Magazine.After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O．Henry，hoping to forget his bitter past.
O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World，and also published the stories in other magazines.His first collection，Cabbages and Kings，appeared in 1904.Many other works quickly followed，such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room.O.Henry’s best known wor
k is The Ransom of Red Chief.His stories always have surprising endings.He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O．Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking，ill health，and financial problems.In 1907，he experienced a failed marriage.In 1910，O.Henry died 
after an illness.What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A brief introduction to O．Henry. |
| B．O.Henry’s career and marriage. |
| C．How O．Henry became a wellknown writer. |
| D．O.Henry’s best known works. |
It can be inferred from the passage that O．Henry ________.
| A．didn’t like to study during his childhood |
| B．had little parental love as a child |
| C．was very interested in medicine and farming |
| D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston |
Which is the right time order for the following events in O．Henry’s life?
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．②①③⑤④ | C．③②①④⑤ | D．②③①⑤④ |
Which of the following works of O. Henry’s is the most popular according to the passage?
| A．Cabbages and Kings. |
| B．The Gift of the Magi. |
| C．The Furnished Room. |
| D．The Ransom of Red Chief. |
Mistreat(虐待) your animals and someone might take them from you.
Allen (not his real name) is driving north out of Virginia in the middle of the night，with stolen property in the back of his van.But Allen isn’t a criminal—in fact he normally would never dream of breaking the law.
The “property” he stole is a dog he calls Flash.Allen doesn’t particularly want Flash in fact，in a few hours he’ll drop him off at a stranger’s house and never see him again.“I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing，”he explains.“The owner was plainly neglecting (忽视) the dog，but the police wouldn’t do anything about it.”
For over a year，Flash had been tied to a tree in front of someone’s house.“He was sick and weak，”says Allen.“More than once I saw the owner kick him for no reason at all.”Allen had repeatedly tried to get the own
er to take better care of the animal，or to give it away to someone who would.Finally，he took matters into his own hands—in the dead of night，he took Flash off his chain and drove away with him.
An hour later，Flash had a new license and he_was_treated_by_a_veterinarian_who_knew_better_than_to_ask_questions.
Pictures of the dog were put up on animal rescue websites，asking for someone to adopt the dog.A couple in New York offered to take the dog，and animal lovers in states along the way agreed to provide transportation.
Nobody can say for sure how many animals like Flash are “rescued” every year；receiving stolen property is a crime，so rescuers tend to stay in the shadows.But a growing number of empty collars are because of their work as more and more animals find their way to loving homes.Why did Allen steal the dog?
| A．He liked the dog very much. |
| B．He wanted to stop the dog being treated badly. |
| C．He is a criminal who likes stealing dogs. |
| D．Someone ordered him to do that. |
What had Allen ever done for the dog before stealing him?
| A．Finding a new owner for him. |
| B．In the dead of night，taking him off his chain and drove away with him. |
| C．Kicking him for no reason at all. |
| D．Asking the owner to treat the dog better or give it to someone else. |
How did Allen help the dog find a new owner?
| A．By putting advertisements on TV. |
| B．By asking the Animals Protection Association for help. |
| C．By asking for help on the Internet. |
| D．By putting up signs on the street. |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?
A．The veterinarian had treated many animals that were mistreat ed by their owners. |
| B．The veterinarian had once stolen some animals like Flash before. |
| C．The veterinarian was Allen’s friend. |
| D．The veterinarian was a learned man. |
The US government has started a website, Admongo, to help children think critically about the advertising aimed at them. It claims to provide visitors with an “aducation” through games and other entertainment.
A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitor
s to Admongo. "Call me Haiz", he says upon arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Spacey dance music plays in the background as Haiz tells visitors that they need to learn about advertising.
Its inventors say eight to twelve years old is the age kids develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids that age are also a big market for advertisers.
The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: To identify the advertiser. To know what the advertiser is really saying. And to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.
Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose different skin colors, hair styles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad-land, where there are ads on buses and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the next level.
The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.
One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) says it is a big business. The FTC estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more than one and a half billion dollars on advertising to young people in 2009.
The FTC says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.
A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.What is the best title of the text?
| A．The guide of Admongo |
| B．An aducation website for children |
| C．A popular online video game |
| D．A website aimed at children |
Why did the government start the website?
| A．To attract the biggest market of buyers. |
| B．To sell the products of its company. |
| C．To help children know about advertising. |
| D．To advertise the video game for children. |
What can players do in the website game?
| A．Choose hair styles for their character. |
| B．Travel to a supermarket. |
| C．Eat in a fast-food restaurant. |
| D．Play video games during the trip. |
Chinese netizens who like to create and use cyber words such as “geilivable” might find a new regulation very “ungeilivable”. The new regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication last week banned the use of Chinglish words created by netizens for publishing in the Chinese language.
“Geilivable”, combining the pinyin geili (giving strength) with the English suffix (后缀) for adjectives, literally means “giving power” or “cool”. Different suffixes and prefixes were then added to the word. “Hengeilivable” means “very cool”, and “ungeilivable” means “dull, not cool at all”.
Cyber language is popular among Chinese netizens, who create Chinglish words to reflect phenomenon in society. One example is “antizen”, which refers to college graduates who earn a meager salary and live in small rented apartments, like tiny and laborious ants.
David Tool, a professor with the Beijing International Studies University, said it’s very interesting to combine Chinese with English to create new words. “English is no longer mysterious to the Chinese people. They can use the language in a flexible way according to their own experiences,” Tool said.
At the announcement of the regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication, netizens expressed their concern.
“The administration is totally ‘ungeilivable’,” said a netizen named laoda1713. “I know other netizens will shed tears with me... it is a good chance to enrich our language.”
“Language is always developing,” said a columnist, Wang Pei. “It needs to be updated to absorb foreign culture and folk wisdom.”
But an unnamed official with the administration said that, in fact, many senior
staff from news media who supported the regulation were worried that years later, the younger generation would forget how to use formal Chinese expressions. The official also pointed out that the regulation was only for formal publications in Chinese language, and it only banned Chinglish words in the publication.The new regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication may be aimed at _________.
| A．simplifying the Chinese language |
| B．limiting the development of language |
| C．banning the use of Chinglish in the publication |
| D．making the netizens more serious |
The underlined word “meager” in the third paragraph probably means________.
| A．poor | B．flexible | C．high | D．plentiful |
From this passage we can infer that__________.
| A．the Chinese people like their own language only |
| B．the English words are considered informal in China |
| C．nobody in China will support the new regulation |
| D．“geilivable” is popular among Chinese netizens |
Which may be the best title of this passage?
| A．Cyber Words Face an Ungeilivable Regulation |
| B．Cyber Words Make Language More Lively |
| C．Different Views about Cyber Language |
| D．New Netizens in China |