I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.
I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I’d be busy 24 hours a day.
The forged excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: “Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off.”
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant.
So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, “They’re supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?” The students looked at me nervously.
“Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note --- the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You’re so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worthy of study. ”
Everyone smiled as I went on, “You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I’d like you to write ‘An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ‘An Excuse Note from Eve to God’.” Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.
The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, “I’d like you to see me in my office.”
When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, “I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you. ”What did the author do with the students found dishonest?
| A．He reported them to the headmaster. | B．He lectured them hard on honesty. |
| C．He had them take notes before lunch. | D．He helped improve their writing skills. |
The author found that compared with the true excuse notes, the produced ones by the students were usually__________.
| A．less impressive | B．more imaginative | C．worse written | D．less convincing |
The author had the students practice writing excuse notes so that the students could learn_________.
| A．the importance of being honest | B．how to write excuse notes skillfully |
| C．the pleasure of creative writing | D．how to be creative in writing |
The underlined word “forged” in the second paragraph means “______”.
| A．former | B．copied | C．false | D．honest |
What did the headmaster think of the author’s way of teaching?
| A．Effective. | B．Difficult | C．Misleading. | D．Reasonable |
TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language, which assesses the proficiency (熟练) of English language of a person in an academic setting. Various institutions, scholarship programs require this test as a trusted and effective indicator of a person’s ability to communicate in English.
TOEFL is available in CBT----Computer-based Technology, PBT----Paper-based Technology and IBT----Internet-based Test formats（形式）to assess the proficiency of English Language. IBT TOEFL is a four-hour test comprising sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. In areas where internet-based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. PBT is a three-hour test comprising four sections: Listening, Structure and Written Expression, Reading Comprehension and Writing.
Taking TOEFL test opens many doors to get admission in foreign u
niversities. More than 7500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries rely on TOEFL test scores to check proficiency for English Language. It is very convenient to take this test and it is available in 165 countries world wide.
It measures your academic skills that whether you are ready to study or train at under graduate or post graduate level in foreign universities or not. In the test candidates are provided with a passage from text books and questions based on lectures, and you can be asked to speak or write in response related to that passage.
As the test is made up of 100 % academic questions, so many universities consider it the most effective test, while taking any admission. To take TOEFL test you should:
-----Improve your writing 
skills;
-----Improve your vocabulary;
-----Practice other reading passages on the TOEFL Test;
-----Be familiar with the format of the test;
-----Practice for listening test on the TOEFL test.
To take admission in World’s famous Harvard University, the minimum TOEFL score required is 587 on the paper-based test, 240 on the computer-based test, or 94-95 on the internet-based TOEFL.The underlined word “comprising” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
| A．including | B．forming | C．combining | D．explaining |
Which section is Not included in IBT TOEFL?
| A．Reading. | B．Writing. |
| C．Speaking. | D．Structure and Written Expression. |
According to the passage, many students are required to take TOEFL test probably because the test can________.
| A．improve their academic skills |
| B．indicate their proficiency of English language |
| C．provide scholarship programs in many countries |
| D．decide your graduation from foreign universities |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Advantages of TOEFL test | B．Introduction to TOEFL test |
| C．Preparations for TOEFL test | D．Assessment of TOEFL test |
The Golden Gate Bridge, the first sight for many people arriving in the United States by ship, is a well-recognized landmark, which spans(横跨) the Golden Gate Strait.
The idea for a bridge across the strait had been around for many years, but it was not easy to get the project started. The construction of the bridge finally began in 1933. The construction work set new standards for safety----workers were among the first required to wear hard hats, and an innovative（革新的） safety net saved the lives of nineteen men while the bridge was built. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, which was finished ahead of schedule.
Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the bridge project. However, he had little experience with the construction of suspension（悬浮）bridges. For this reason, other engineers, architects, and designers made great contributions to the design and construction of the bridge. For example, the bridge owes its art style and unique orange color to the architects Irving and Gertrude Morrow. Charles Alton Ellis was the main engineer on the project and did much of the technical work necessary to build the bridge.
Today, the Golden Gate Bridge has a main span of 4,200 feet and a total length of 8,981 feet, making it one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge is 90 feet wide, and its span is 220 feet above the water. The towers supporting the huge cables (巨缆) rise 746 feet above the waters of the Golden Gate Strait, making them 191 feet taller than the Washington Monument. About 40 million cars cross the bridge every year. There are foghorns（雾角）to let passing ships know where the bridge is, and aircraft beacons（信号灯）on the tops of the towers to stop planes from crashing into them.The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．describe the construction work of the Golden Gate Bridge |
| B．introduce the Golden Gate Bridge |
| C．tell us the history of the Golden Gate Bridge |
| D．introduce the engineers in charge of the Golden Gate Bridge |
Safety innovations during the construction of the bridge included ________.
| A．hardhats and a safety net | B．aircraft beacons |
| C．foghorns | D．all of the above |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Joseph Strauss was skilled in the construction of suspension bridges |
| B．it took the construction workers three years to build the Golden Gate Bridge |
| C．about 100 thousand cars cross the Golden Gate Bridge every day |
| D．the Golden Gate Bridge is the longest bridge in the world |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.
| A．towers | B．cables | C．waters | D．bridges |
Culture helps human societies survive in changing natural environment．For example, the end of the last Ice Age, beginning about 15,000 years ago, brought a big challenge to which humans had to adapt．Before this time, large parts of the northern hemisphere were covered in great sheets of ice that contained much of the earth' s water．In North America, large animals that wandered the vast tundra （冰原） provided people with food and materials for clothing and simple shelters．When the earth became warm, large Ice Age animals disappeared, and many land areas were covered by rising sea levels from melting ice．But people survived, they developed new technologies and learned how to survive on new plant and animal species． Finally some people settled into permanent villages, durable houses and farms．
Cultural adaptation has made humans one of the most successful species on the planet． Through history, major developments in technology, medicine, and nutrition have allowed people to reproduce and survive in ever-increasing numbers．The global population has risen from 8 million during the Ice Age to about 6 billion today．
However, the successes of culture adaptation can also create problems in the long run．Over the last 200 years, people have begun to use large quantities of natural resources and energy and to produce a great amount of material and chemical wastes．The global population now consumes some important natural resources—such as petroleum, wood, and minerals—faster than nature can produce them．Many scientists believe that in the process of burning fuels and producing wastes, people may be changing the global climate in unpredictable and possibly harmful ways．Thus, the adaptive success of the present-day global culture of production and trade may be temporary．What is the first paragraph mainly talking about?
| A．How the human beings survived in the Ice Age． |
| B．What the situation was like during the Ice Age． |
| C．What caused the Ice Age to come to an end． |
| D．Why the Ice Age was very important． |
To deal with the problems, human beings should ______according to the passage．
| A．stop developing any longer |
| B．reduce the overuse of natural resources |
| C．stop the global warming and using natural resources |
| D．save more animals in case they all die out |
Which of the following is the problem caused by cultural adaptation according to the passage?
| A．A very developed culture came into being． |
| B．New technologies have been developed． |
| C．Natural resources have been used up． |
| D．Human activities have done damage to the balance of nature． |
Which of the following can be the best tide of the passage?
| A．Natural Environment Should Be Protected． |
| B．The Success of Cultural Adaptation Is Not Permanent． |
| C．The Global Population Is Increasing Since Ice Age． |
| D．Human Beings Are Capable of Surviving on Earth. |
With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．In European companies, workers who speak English ________．
| A．find it easy to carry on a conversation | B．have an advantage over other workers |
| C．must be white-collar workers | D．travel to many different countries |
Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
| A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium． |
| B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands． |
| C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English． |
| D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them． |
What can you learn from the passage about European people?
| A．More young people can speak English well than older people. |
| B．67% Europeans can speak English very well． |
| C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English． |
| D．Over half the people can speak English． |
Another food which is closely associated with Americans is apple pie．Apple pie is often served hot with a spoon of ice cream or a slice of cheese at the end of the biggest meal of the day—dinner, and it is a favorite dessert throughout the nation, if a person is typical of Americans, we can say, "He is as American as apple pie．"
It is true that the apple and apple pie do not originate in America, but the expression "as American as apple pie" is not the product of a pure imagination．As early as 1625, the English colonists, having brought orchards （果园） on this new land and in most of the colonial times, the apple was a main material of both plain and fancy cooking．The first Massachusetts governor, William Endicott, was one of many keen apple planters who helped to lay the foundations for today' s apple-growing industry in America．
A major attraction of the apple for the colonists was that it could be made into cider （苹果酒）. Like most Europeans, English colonists held a strong suspicion （怀疑） of drinking water, and since grapegrowing was hindered by plant peats, cider became an alternative to wine．Cheap and easy to produce, it was the American drink of first choice well into the nineteenth century． Whether it was dried, raw or cooked, the apple also found its way into numerous colonial dishes, including apple sauces, pudding, stuffings and many desserts．Therefore, the conclusion to be drawn here is obvious．The apple pie became known as American, not because it was invented on this land （since it was proved that Europeans had been eating apple pies for centuries）, but because, thanks to the huge orchards in the states of Washington and New York, America became the world's largest apple-producing nation．If a person is said to be as American as apple pie, it means that _______．
| A．he always prefers apple pie as a dessert | B．his favourite pie is apple pie |
| C．he behaves and thinks in the American way | D．he is good at making American apple pie |
The apple can be used to make into all of the following except _______．
| A．wine | B．sauces | C．pudding | D．cider |
The underlined word hindered in Paragraph 3 means．________．
| A．promoted | B．prevented | C．improved | D．enlarged |
It can be concluded from the passage that_______．
| A．the apple pie was first served in America |
| B．the English colonists developed a taste for the apple only after they, arrived at the New World |
| C．the expression "as American as apple pie" is a pure imagination |
| D．the apple pie is traditionally associated with Americans due to their large apple production |