We’re so well educated – but we’re useless students who have lost the ability to do anything practical. The only thing we’ve mastered is consumption(消费).
Large numbers of students have entered higher education in the past 10 years, but despite being the most educated generation in history, it seems that we’ve grown increasingly ignorant when it comes to basic life skills.
Looking back on my first couple of weeks of living in student halls, I consider myself lucky to still be alive. Unfamiliar to fresher’s， there are many hidden dangers in the dirty corners of students accommodation.
I have survived a couple of serious boiling egg incidents and lots of cases of food – poisoning, probably from dirty kitchen counters. Although some of my clothes have fallen victim to ironing experimentation, I think I have now finally acquired all the domestic (居家的) skills I missed out in my modem education.
In 2006 and 2010, the charming educationist Sir Ken Robinson gave two very amusing talks in which he discussed the importance of creativity in education. Robinson’s main viewpoint is that our current education system dislocates people from their natural talents. I would like to go a step further and propose that besides our talents, the system takes away what used to be passed from generation to generation – a working knowledge of basic life skills.
Today’s graduates may have earned themselves honor in history, law or economies, but when it comes to simple things like putting up a shelf to hold all their academic books, or fixing a hole in their on – trend clothes, they have to call for help from a professional handyman or tailor.
Since the invention of the internet, it has never been easier for people to access information, but our highly specialized education has made us more one – sided than ever.
I suggest that we start with the immediate reintroduction of some of the most vital aspects of “domestic science” education, before the current lack leads to serious accidents in student halls.People call us useless students for the reason that .
| A．what we’ve learned is beyond consumption |
| B．we are educated generation |
| C．we’ve entered higher education |
| D．our living skills are so poor |
Which is NOT the incidents the writer had during the first few weeks in student halls?
| A．He was seriously burnt by boiled eggs. |
| B．He was accidentally poisoned by food. |
| C．He damaged his clothes while ironing. |
| D．He was severely beaten by fresher. |
According to Robinson’s opinion, our current education .
| A．focuses on the importance if creativity |
| B．dislocates people from their natural talents |
| C．has equipped students with basic life skills |
| D．has followed the convention properly |
London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3. 7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.
40. What led the British government to build the London Underground？
A. Traffic jams and pollution.
B. Population and pollution.
C. Overcrowding and traffic jams.
D. The poverty and subway problems.
41. How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
A. It made the tunnels larger.
B. It put fans in the tunnels.
C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.
D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.
42. The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
A. be troublesome
B. become popular and fashionable
C. keep up with
D. seize
43. Which of the following is TRUE？
A. To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.
B. There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.
C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.
D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.
Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany. As a child, he was slow to learn to talk. As a pupil, he was backward. But when he was fourteen years old, he became clever. He taught himself maths from textbooks. He studied hard because he wanted to be a physicist.
In 1901, Einstein began teaching. In 1902 he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. Several years later, he formulated(系统地阐述)his famous Theory of Relativity(相对论).To most people the law of relativity is difficult to explain. But once Einstein explained it to a group of young students. He said,” When you sit with a good girl for two hours, you think it is only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That is relativity."
After Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein went to America. In 1940 Einstein became an American citizen. In 1955, Einstein's life ended at the age of seventy-six.
36. When Einstein was a pupil of twelve, he _______.
A. was not quick in learning to talk B. was poor in his studies
C. studied very hard D. hardly lagged behind
37. The law of relativity is_______ .
A. very hard for most people to understand
B. too hard for Einstein himself to explain
C. too hard to explain to anybody except Einstein
D. easy to understand only for the young students
38. Which of the following do you think is true?
A. The Germans owed their scientific progress to Einstein.
B. The Americans owed all their economic development to Einstein.
C. Einstein owed a great deal to the modern world.
D. Einstein made a very great contribution to modern science.
39. The title for this passage should be " _______ ".
A. Theory of Relativity B. An American Citizen
C. Albert Einstein D. Einstein's Contribution
There is an English saying:“ laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
46.Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that.
A. smiling does good to health
B. laughter can be tolerated
C. there is a way to reduce pain
D. laughter can work the muscles in the feet
47.The main idea of the passage is.
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B. smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine
48.The students who tolerated the pain for the longest time .
A .listened to different radio programs
B .slept in the room
C. don’t have stress of pain
D .listened to a funny program
49.The underlined word “diminish” is similar to.
A. test B .stop C. reduce D. find
50. Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
A .to give better condition to their patients
B .in order to improve patients’ health
C .to make patients smile
D. to prove smile and laughter have the same effect
Hamsters are lovely small animals which are similar to mice，and some people 1ike to keep them as pets．They need to eat a balanced diet，or they can become very sick．That’s why hamsters should be fed healthy foods．
Most pet stores sell hamster mix．This is a combination of foods that are just right for hamsters．Some hamsters are picky eaters．They don’t eat anything they don’t like，so you have to find a hamster mix that your hamster will like．Most hamsters only eat a few tablespoons a day．You should feed them at the same time every day，or you can just keep your hamster’s bowl full．Remember to clean the bowl at least once a week．Hamsters also drink a lot of water，so be sure to keep the water supply full and fresh．Just like people，hamsters like treats．Besides the hamster mix，you can sometimes feed your hamster seeds，nuts，and some other people food．You should never feed your hamster anything unless you are sure that it is safe for hamsters．Feed your hamster carefully，and always take good care of your pet !43．If hamsters don’t have a balanced diet，they will．A．become sick B．drink water C．store food D．feel fresh44．What does the underlined sentence “some hamsters are picky eaters” mean?A．They pick food with tools． B．They mix food once a week．C．They find their food in stores． D．They only eat the food they like．45．What’s the passage mainly about?A．Where to keep hamsters． B．When to buy hamsters．C．What to feed hamsters． D．Why to raise hamsters．
Jenny was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw a circle of white pearls（珍珠） in a box. “Oh please, Mommy .Can I have them? Please, mommy, please!”
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little box and said ,” That’s almost $2.00. If you really like them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.”
Then Jenny began doing more chores at home and did housework for neighbors. On her birthday, Grandma gave her another new dollar bill and she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. She wore them everywhere, even to bed.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”
“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”
“Then give me your pearls.”
“Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my Princess.”
“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night. ”And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked for the pearls again. And Jenny refused him again.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. As he came close, he noticed one silent tear rolling down her cheek.
“What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”
Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little necklace. She finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a blue case with real pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the real treasure.
40. What does the underlined word “Princess” mean?
A. It may be the daughter of the king .
B. It may be one of her toy girls.
C. It may mean Jenny`s teacher.
D. It may mean another necklace.
41. Why did tears come down when Jenny offered her necklace to her father?
A. Jenny felt sorry because she would lose her favorite.
B. Jenny felt excited because her father would give her a new necklace.
C. Jenny felt sad because the necklace she had bought was expensive.
D. Jenny `s father spent too much money on the necklace.
42. What’s the best title? W
A. The NecklaceB. FatherC. MotherD. Daughter