BEIJING — China’s education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.
Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get ‘‘extra credits’ up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students’ chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.
“It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.
Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. uIt will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.
The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges(优先权).
The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.
Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.
But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My - 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math，and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.
A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”
Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China，” lie said.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
| A．high school students with talent in sports are weak in academic performance |
| B．students who win awards in Olympic competitions can’t get extra credits in 2011 |
| C．the number of competitions whose winners can get extra credits will be smaller |
| D．the extra credits have reduced students' chances of being admitted by famous colleges |
What does the underlined word “geek” probably mean?
| A．a winner | B．a smart learner | C．a competitor | D．a dull student |
Which person in the passage was strongly against the new policy?
| A．Xiong Bingqi | B．Chen Lei | C．Dong Wen | D．Yuan Guiren |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．“Extra credits policy in China to be adjusted |
| B．Promotion of national Olympic competitions |
| C．Advice on the national college entrance exam |
| D．Chinese government to push education reform |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was greatly surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about __________.
| A．a strange man |
| B．an unusual party |
| C．how roller skating began |
| D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he __________.
| A．was full of imagination |
| B．was a gifted musician |
| C．invented the roller skates |
| D．often gave others surprises |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to __________.
| A．show his skill in walking on wheels |
| B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．test his invention |
| D．impress the party guests |
Five years after they disappeared, lost jewels belonging to the wife of a US ambassador to the Netherlands were found.
Dawn Arnall had already received an insurance payout for her loss. However, the misplaced gems had been found and held for safe keeping by a hotel she stayed in. staff were unaware that the jewels were worth $ 9m.
The world is full of forgetful people. A man in the English town of Reading even left a sausage casserole in a bus. The dish ended up in the Lost Property Office until it was recovered by his mother, eager for her dinner.
A walker in the Lake District had his food in his mouth but … what about his teeth? After climbing a hill in 2007, David Packer stopped for a chocolate bar. He took his false teeth out, wrapped them up in a tissue and just forgot about them. It took more than a year for the walker to be reunited with them.
Over the past 78 years passengers on London’s transport network have left behind items including human skulls and gas masks from World War II. Since 1934, staff have handled an average of 200 000 items a year. Recently they have used computers to try to track down their owners.
But if you find something and can’t locate the rightful owner, is it finders keepers? It depends on what’s found and how, says John Spencer, professor of law at the University of Cambridge.
“If you pick up a coin, you can keep it unless you saw someone drop it, as you wouldn’t be able to find the owner by taking reasonable steps.”
If it’s a larger sum, you should report it to the police but if the item has been abandoned, the property is yours. One man’s loss is another man’s gain!Dawn Arnall is mentioned in the first two paragraphs to .
| A．attract readers’ attention to the jewellery |
| B．introduce the topic |
| C．make a summary |
| D．get people think |
Judging from the examples given in the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs, people can be .
| A．generous | B．experienced |
| C．forgettable | D．honest |
What does the underlined part in the sixth paragraph mean?
| A．It depends on the law whether to keep something you find. |
| B．One man’s loss is another man’s loss too. |
| C．It’s immoral to keep something that doesn’t belong to you. |
| D．Whoever finds something can keep it. |
It was such an extremely freezing day that I decided to get a cup of hot drinking first after work. As my colleague, Ricky, and I were making our way to a coffee shop, I noticed an old gentleman rather poorly dressed sitting on a bench nearby. Obviously he was frozen, seemingly one of the homeless or someone like that.
We joined the line and waited to be served. Ricky handed the server a twenty-dollar bill, ordered three cups of hot coffee, and gestured the sever to give one to the old gentleman outside on the bench as a favour. The server looked at Ricky, a little perplexed, without full comprehension of the request. Afterwards, there was a wonderful exchange between the server and the old man in need of some attention. I only wished I had taken a photo of the smiles on the both faces.
As I was thinking about this event later on, I wondered to myself why Ricky didn’t perform this act of kindness himself. I suspect that deep down in his heart he was hoping that this act of kindness might inspire others to do something for this old man as well. Absolutely beautiful!
There are many ways of thinking when we met someone as the old man in need of kindness and attention. Perhaps he needs a little helping hand and thanks God for my colleague who inspired the others to goodness as well. Oh, by the way, the last words Ricky told the server was,
“There go I, but for the Grace of God.”What was the author’s impression of the old gentleman?
| A．He was a greedy man |
| B．He took on a sign of poor manners. |
| C．He was in poor health. |
| D．He needed some kind of human care. |
The underlined word “perplexed” in the second paragraph probably means “ ”.
| A．annoyed | B．confused |
| C．embarrassed | D．determined |
Why didn’t Ricky give the favour to the old gentleman himself?
| A．He didn’t know the old gentleman. |
| B．He was too shy to speak to strangers. |
| C．He tried to influence others to be kind. |
| D．He feared the old man would refuse his help. |
What the author really thinks absolutely beautiful is that .
| A．an act of kindness could go widespread |
| B．a cup of coffee could warm the old man |
| C．the server was very kind to customers |
| D．Ricky had created a good impression |
Across Britain, burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers. But, according to a new study, we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work. Now, the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours, they would earn as much as £172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do, as well as the hours they are working, to determine the figure. This would make their yearly income £30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analyzing the numbers, it found the average mother works 119 hours a week, 40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate 79 hours as overtime. After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18, it found that, on most days, mums started their routine work at 7 am and finished at around 11 pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour, it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on, including housekeeper, part-time lawyer, personal trainer and entertainer. Being a part-time lawyer, at £48,98 an hour, would prove to be the most profitable of the “mum jobs”, with psychologist(心理学家) a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face, with 80 per cent making emotional(情感的) demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day. The emotional, physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending, but children are also sources of great joy and happiness. Investing(投入) in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister?
A. £30,000. B. £142,000.
C. £172,000. C. £202,000.The biggest challenge for most mothers is from .
| A．emotional demand |
| B．low pay for work |
| C．heavy workload |
| D．lack of training |
What is stressed in the last paragraph?
| A．mothers’ importance shows in family all year long. |
| B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile. |
| C．Mothers’ devotion to children can hardly be calculated. |
| D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return. |
What can we conclude from the study?
| A．Mothers’ working hours should be largely reduced. |
| B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest. |
| C．Mothers’ labour is of a higher value than it is realized. |
| D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life. |
A
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
| Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18,2015) |
|
| Nearpod ◇ 9:00 am to 10:00 am ◇ Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context(语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO ◇ 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ◇ Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
| Kahoot ◇ 10:30 am to 11:00 am ◇ Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback(反馈), including reports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi ◇ 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm ◇ Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students’ attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
Nearpod can be used to .
| A．offer grammar tests |
| B．teach listening on-line |
| C．help vocabulary learning |
| D．gain fluency in speaking |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to .
| A．Room 501 | B．Room 502 |
| C．Room 601 | D．Room 602 |
Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?
| A．Nearpod. | B．Kahoot |
| C．TEO. | D．Prezi. |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by .
| A．9:00 am | B．10:30 am |
| C．2:00 pm | D．3:30 pm |