United States and Canada are multicultural countries with many national, religious and cultural differences, where people attach great importance to individualism—the uniqueness among people. Teachers value the qualities that make each student special and different. You can see such values through their educational systems. For example, students needn’t memorize lots of information. Instead, they work independently and find answers on their own. There are discussions for children to show their own ideas and opinions.
By contrast, people have the same language, history, and culture in most Asian societies. As a result, Asia’s educational system reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea learn to work together and help one another in assignments. And the teaching methods are often very formal and serious. In class, teachers give lectures while students listen and take notes. Discussion is replaced by reciting rules of information that have been memorized.
These two systems both have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage in Japan is that there is much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. In addition, students study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The difficult system also prepares students for a society that place emphasis on discipline(纪律) and self-control. However, while memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students admit forgetting much of the information that they have memorized after exams.
On the other hand, the educational system in North American has an advantage that students learn to think for themselves, which prepares them for a society that values creativity. The disadvantage is that when they graduate from high school, they haven’t recited as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.People in multicultural countries such as the US or Canada lay more stress on __________.
A.team work | B.self-control | C.discipline | D.individualism |
What is the advantage of the educational system in North America?
A.There is not much discussion. |
B.Learning to think for themselves |
C.Learning much less math and science |
D.They haven’t memorized basic rules and facts. |
Which words is most suitable to describe the author's attitude in writing this passage?
A.Supportive | B.Opposite | C.Objective(客观) | D.Subjective(主观) |
The main idea of this passage is___________.
A.cultural differences in countries such as the United States or Canada |
B.comparisons of educational system between North America and Asia |
C.there are more advantages of Asian education system of than that of North American |
D.there are more disadvantages of Asian education system than that of North American |
Every student wants to learn English well, but how can we learn it well? It’s a good topic for English learners. Here are some good methods, which can help you improve your English quickly.
First of all, you must have correct attitude. Please love English, not hate it. And you don’t feel shy when you say or speak English. Remember one sentence: Put your face in your pocket.
Secondly, I think grammar rules, new words and phrases are important, but they are not enough. For example, some people are quite good at grammar and learned a lot of English words and phrases. But they can’t speak English when they meet foreign friends.
The most effective way to learn English well is to often use English. Don’t be afraid and don’t laugh at others. We’d better listen, speak, read and write more. You can go to English corner, talk with foreigners or talk with your friends. If you have time, listen to the radio or English program. Listening to this good material can help you improve your listening and understanding. And then, you can read English books, newspapers or novels. They are wonderful. You can use the internet, chat with net-friends or write E-mails, dairies …Through these ways, you can get more for your English.
English isn’t so difficult that we can’t learn it well. As long as we set our mind to learn English well, I’m sure everyone will be successful.The underlined sentence “Put your face in your pocket.” suggests that____
A.you should love English |
B.you should not let others recognize your face |
C.you should try not to make mistakes when speaking English |
D.You should not feel shy when using English |
In the writer’s opinion,_____
A.English learners should not spend time on grammar rules, new words and phrases. |
B.Grammar rules, new words and phrases are the most important thing for an English learner. |
C.If you are good at grammar, your spoken English will be bad. |
D.Learning grammar rules, new words and phrases is only part of English learning. |
The writer gives the following tips EXCEPT____
A.go to English corner |
B.communicate with people in English |
C.travel in English-speaking countries |
D.write English diaries |
Tomato Festival
Started in 2005, the Tomato Festival has grown into a local tradition in Malta. In recent years, the festival has added amusement park-style rides and a yearly Creature Feature, which screens old horrible movies.There are also dance competitions, parades and pancake breakfast.Third weekend in August.
Address: 833 Tinkham Rd, Fountain Park, Wilbra-ham, Massachusetts 01095
Phone: (413)599-0010
Brat Days
Don't mistake this festival for a day filled with poorly behaved children. Begun in 1953, the gathering is the biggest festival in the city each year and features more than 50 stands selling the sausage, as well as a contest to see who can quickly eat the most bratwurst in ten minutes.Early August.
Address: 17th and New Jersey sts, Kiwanis Park, She boygan, Wisconsin 53081
Phone: (920)457-9491
Hope Watermelon Festival
The festival dates back to the 1920s, when many trains went through this small town and local watermelon growers would sell their watermelon to parched travelers.These days, the festival sees a Watermelon Queen crowned(加冠的) and sometimes a world-record watermelon grown.There are also more than 300 stands selling arts and crafts from a six-state area, as well as a car show and the Watermelon Olympics.Early August.
Address: 108 W 3rd St, Hope, Arkansas 71801
Phone: (870) 777-3640
Oyster Festival (牡蛎节)
Featuring appearances from tall ships and oyster boats, this festival has regularly drawn 60,000 visitors a year since it began in 1978.More than 3,000 volunteers make the festival possible each year.Norwalk is less than a two-hour drive from many of New England's larger cities, making it easy to attend the festival during a trip to New York or Hartford.Weekend after Labor Day.
Address: Sea view Ave, Veteran's Park, East Nor-walk, Connecticut 06855
Phone: (800) 866-7925Which of the following festivals has the longest history?
A.Oyster Festival | B.Hope Watermelon Festival |
C.Brat Days | D.Tomato Festival |
The underlined word "parched" in the third passage means _____.
A.tired | B.hungry | C.thirsty | D.excited |
In which of the following activities can you enjoy the frightening films?
A.The Creature Feature |
B.The Watermelon Olympics |
C.The Eating-bratwurst Contest |
D.Dance Competitions |
If it is August 15 today this year, you might still attend _____.
A.Brat Days | B.Oyster Festival |
C.Hope Watermelon Festival | D.Tomato Festival |
Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don‘t agree with them.
Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources, we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.
In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best. From the passage we know that some students often _______ in the school.
A.eat too much | B.don‘t work hard |
C.waste things | D.throw rubbish everywhere |
What may happen in 100 years?
A.We may still have enough oil. |
B.We may still have enough coal. |
C.We may have a little oil |
D.We may have no coal or oil to use. |
Which of the following is right?
A.Waste brings problems. |
B.Waste can bring no problem. |
C.China is rich in fresh water. |
D.Students never waste things. |
Which is the best title of this passage?
A.Stop Wasting |
B.School life |
C.Waste in the School |
D.Rich Resources in China |
Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories,destroying fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged that their owners had to leave them,and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed,several were badly hurt and taken to hospital,and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.
A farmer,Mr. Tan,said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.
“I was eating with my wife and children,”he said,“When we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him,safe but very frightened.”
Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.
“There was no time to take anything,”she said,“A few minutes later,the roof came down.”
Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department (福利机构) brought them food,clothes and shelter. How many homes altogether were damaged in the storm?
A.Fourteen | B.Twenty-one |
C.Twenty-nine | D.Thirty-six |
Where was Mr. Tan when the storm first began?
A.He was in bed. | B.He was inside the house. |
C.He was outside the house. | D.He was on the roof. |
The underlined word “shelter” in this passage means ______.
A.something to eat | B.something to wear |
C.somewhere to study | D.somewhere to stay |
Which of he following may be the best title for this passage?
A.A Terrible Storm | B.A Lucky Woman |
C.Good Soldiers | D.Clever People |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or get our vulnerability(脆弱之处). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.According to the passage, persuasion means ______.
A.changing others’ points of view |
B.exercising power over other people |
C.getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
D.getting other people to consider your point of view |
The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means ______.
A.win | B.talk | C.compare | D.expect |
The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ______.
A.a danger to society | B.difficult to do well |
C.unwelcome behavior | D.never successful |
The passage mainly discusses ______.
A.that people persuade to get what they want |
B.that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
C.that persuasion is widely accepted and appreciated |
D.that people persuade in different ways |