Now, there is a growing movement to pay the students in American schools---in some cases, even just for coming to class.
Students at one school in New Mexico can earn up to three hundred dollars a year for good attendance. In Baltimore, Maryland, high scores in state graduation tests can be worth more than one hundred dollars. And a New Jersey school system plans to pay students fifty dollars a week to attend after---school tutoring programs.
Schools that pay students can be found in more than one---fourth of the fifty states. Other schools pay students with food or other rewards.
Robert Schaefer is a public education director. He says paying students may improve performance in the short term, but students develop false expectations for the future. He sees a lack of long term planning in these programs because of the pressure on schools to raise test scores.
Public schools need to show improvement under the education reform law. Low---performing schools may lose their federal money; teachers and administrators(行政人员) may lose their jobs. Often these schools are in poor neighborhoods where getting students to go to school can be a continual problem.
Critics(评论家) say paying students sends a message that money is the only valuable reward. But some students say it makes school more exciting. And some teachers have reported getting more requests for extra help.
In two thousand four, the city schools in Coshocton, Ohio, launched a program. They wanted to see if paying elementary school students as much as one hundred dollars would help in passing the state exams.
Now, Eric Bettinger of Case Western Reserve University (EUCWRU) has reported mixed results. Math scores increased, but only white students were able to get paid. And there was no evidence of higher scores in reading, social studies and science. Official will decide later this year whether to continue the program.Paying students who show improvement in tests __________.
| A．has been done in most American schools |
| B．is becoming a growing practice in the USA |
| C．is not very popular with teachers |
| D．only aims at high scores at school |
According to the text, Robert Schaefer _____________.
| A．is a very excellent teacher |
| B．thinks highly of paying students |
| C．thinks students will show improvement in study in the future |
| D．thinks people should make a careful plan for the paying program |
From the last paragraph we can see __________.
| A．EBCWRU has got great success in its paying program |
| B．not all the students in EUCWRU have made progress in all subjects |
| C．only students who study math can get paid |
| D．EBCWRU will go on with the paying program |
The text is mainly written to _____________.
| A．persuade teachers to give students more prizes |
| B．tell people how to become an excellent student |
| C．introduce something about American paying students program |
| D．explain the advantages of American paying students program |
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works. She was trying to explain the principle of income tax (收入税).
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary (薪水) to the government . If you make a high salary, your taxes are high. If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low .”
“Is that clear?” she asked. “Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax?” The students nodded.
Are there any questions?” she asked. The students shook their heads.
“Very good!” she said.” “Now, I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax.”
Little Joey was a slow learner. He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar, but this time he at least seemed to understand the task.. He took his pen and after a few minutes, he handed the teacher the following composition:
Once I had a dog. His name was Tax. I opened the door and in come Tax.The teacher was trying to explain _______one day.
| A．everyone should pay income tax |
| B．how the government works |
| C．the basic principles of the income tax |
| D．how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation,__________.
| A．not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| B．many of the students were still puzzled |
| C．all the students shook their heads |
| D．few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked__________.
| A．to write a composition on “income tax” |
| B．to answer some questions on income tax |
| C．to say something about income tax |
| D．to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey __________.
| A．wrote a paragraph about his dog |
| B．grasped what income tax meant |
| C．was clear about the subject |
| D．did as what he was told to do |
What was your favorite sport during your childhood? Maybe running around the playground or jumping rope for hours would bring you pleasure. At that time you weren’t thinking of health, you were just thinking of entertainment(娱乐). But in this age of high-tech home equipment, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. I think rediscovering it probably will give you a total-body exercise.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never been widely accepted because of two reasons. First, most people consider jumping rope to be an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many people regard it as a little boring and overly repetitive —not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find proper ways to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳) over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double –bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping .
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres（半球）to perform equally to each other . In a word, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.One reason that can explain why rope jumping has not spread widely is that_____.
| A．it is believed to be boring and repetitive |
| B．it is too difficult for people to learn to jump |
| C．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in Paragraph 3 implies thatin rope jumping .
| A．there is only one proper way to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used again |
| C．the easiest way is always the best one |
| D．there are different kinds of ways to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope .
| A．only prepares the brain for learning |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He strongly argues against it. |
| B．He is sitting on the fence of it . |
| C．He is for it. |
| D．He knows little about it . |
Are you interested in travelling in the dangerous mountains in America? Here are some tour plans for you to choose.
Tour 1 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Book in advance. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Tour 2 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly controlled on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Tour 3 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Remember to book in advance.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Advice to be followed:
☆Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
☆Wear good walking shoes---no high heels.
☆Wear a hat for day walks.
☆Dress warmly for night walks.
☆Children must be with an adult.
☆Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
☆Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are so dangerous that you have to care.Where are these tours likely to take place?
| A．In a modern noisy city. | B．In a special kind of zoo |
| C．In a park in the mountains. | D．In three different countries. |
On which trip is it possible for you to see animals that are active
at night but may sleep during the day?
| A．Flashlight Adventure | B．Garland Valley. |
| C．Black Bear Count | D．None of the trips. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Extra batteries are needed for Tour 1 & 3. |
| B．All three tours require booking in advance. |
| C．It’s clearly advised to wear a hat for Tour 2. |
| D．Tour 3 will take the longest hours to finish. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Some Adventure Tours in America |
| B．Hunting around the Great Mountains |
| C．Interesting Tours in Different Parks |
| D．Discovery Tours in the Mountains |
You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense(无意义） to listen on your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not the other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph 2 probably means "_________."
| A．the type of music |
| B．the length of a song |
| C．the amount of a sound |
| D．the color of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music_________.
| A．may annoy others | B．will make us tired |
| C．is bad for MP3 players | D．can hurt our ears |
If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, _________.
| A．the theatre won't allow it |
| B．we may miss part of the play |
| C．others won't hear the play well |
| D．the actors will get angry |
The main idea of this passage is about _________.
| A．music lovers | B．music manners |
| C．music players | D．MP3 earphones |
There was a doctor in our city who was famous for his skills. Once he received a little child who was badly ill. Thanks to his skill and care, his young patient got well and was soon able to get up and run about again.
The child’s mother was very much thankful to the doctor, and she visited him to thank him for what he had done for her child. “Doctor,” she said, “you have saved my little son. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it.” The doctor stood up and said coldly, “Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done.” The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, “Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?”
“Fifty pounds”, he answered.
The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room.The lady was thankful to the doctor because ________.
| A．he had saved her life |
| B．he often called on her |
| C．he had saved her son’s life |
| D．he had given her some money |
The doctor refused the lady’s purse because he thought ______.
| A．the purse should be given between friends |
| B．the purse was too small |
| C．the lady was not kind to him |
| D．the lady didn’t gave him money but the purse |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The lady didn’t pay the doctor any money. |
| B．The lady was means. |
| C．The lady had planned to give the doctor 200 pounds. |
| D．The lady was angry with the doctor. |