Nowadays, there’s a lot of debate about single sex education since it has begun to regain its popularity recently. According to long term studies of children from around the world, students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools.
An Australian study of 270,000 students found that both boys and girls performed much higher on standardized(标准化) tests when they attended separate schools. During an experiment in Virginia in 1995, 100 eighth graders were separated just for math and science courses. Almost immediately, the girls began to achieve more, become more confident and take part more often in class activities.
In 2001, a British study concluded that nearly every girl regardless of (不论) her ability or socio-economic status performed better in single sex classrooms than co-ed ones. The study of 2,954 high schools and 979 primary schools showed that while boys at the lowest levels in study improved the most in single sex schools, single sex education was particularly beneficial (有益的) to girls. Every one of the top 50 private elementary schools and top 20 private high schools in Britain are single sex schools.
Girls became more confident in themselves as students and earned higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement examinations. A quarter of the female members of the US Congress and one-third of all female members of Fortune 100 boards graduated from all-women’s colleges.
While the statistics are not as dramatic for boys, however, boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more cooperative in a single sex setting. They can just be boys and not worry about what the girls might think.
Single sex education has a pleasant way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic --- in short, to just be themselves. Children are subjected (屈从于) to pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Why not let them be children for a few more years? Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social atmosphere is just the right answer for many children.With the experiment in Virginia in 1995, the writer wants to show that .
| A．single sex education has become popular in recent years |
| B．the effect of single sex education on girls is immediate |
| C．students at separate schools are better prepared for standardized tests |
| D．both boy and girl students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools |
According to the article, which of the following statements about single sex education is TRUE?
| A．Girls’ performances in single sex classrooms are determined by their ability and socioeconomic status. |
| B．In all-boys schools boys with the worst academic performances improved the most. |
| C．Single sex education was particularly helpful for boys. |
| D．There are more single sex schools than co-ed schools in Britain. |
In the article, the underlined phrase “soften their competitive edge” probably means .
| A．act in a kindly manner | B．become less competitive |
| C．lose interest in something | D．take advantage of something |
What is the main point of the article?
| A．Ways to reduce pressure and help children grow. |
| B．The reason why girls perform better than boys at school. |
| C．The advantage of single sex education. |
| D．The development of single sex education in different countries. |
D
Having too much confidence is not good. And now, a new study has proved this by finding that overconfident teenage students can stunt crucial（决定性的）reading skills.
The study shows a clear connection between overconfident students and low reading comprehension.
“While some self-confidence is helpful, overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average (平均水平) readers in all 34 countries we studied, ” says Ming Ming Chiu, the lead author of the study.
“In contrast, under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be above-average readers in all 34 countries, ”the expert added.
The difference lies in a student’s ability to exactly assess (估计) and evaluate his or her own reading level, according to Chiu. Those who can accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses are usually in a better position to identify realistic goals and achieve them.
“If an overconfident student chooses a book that is too hard—such as The Lord of the Rings rather than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf,”says Chiu.
“In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books, ”the expert added.
67．The underlined word “stunt” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by .
A. improve B. help C. prevent D. find
68．Which of the following is true?
A. Under-confident 15-year-olds are less likely to be above-average readers.
B.
Overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average readers.
C. Under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be below average readers.
D. Overconfident 15-year-olds are often above-average readers.
69．People who can exactly assess their strengths and weaknesses can .
A. choose a better book B. gain more money
C. have realistic goals and achieve them D. have a great improvement in their marks
70．A more self-aware student is more likely to .
A. stop reading after a few pages B. put the book on a bookshelf
C. finish an easier book D. write books
C
A school in Nanjing plans to order Korean-style school uniforms (校服) for students, but parents were against the move, believing that the new uniforms looked too good and would encourage early romances among the students.
Parents: “My daughter was so excited about the Korean-style uniform, saying it’s her dream to wear a miniskirt to school every day,” a mom said. “My daughter also called her classmates to talk about how handsome the boys looked in the uniforms! If the students wear such beautiful uniforms, how can they concentrate on their studies?”
School: We had to stop the plan because many parents were strongly against it. Some parents thought it was just a way for the school to make money, and others thought the new uniforms would take students’ attention away from their studies.
Students: The students were very disappointed about the school’s final decision. They thought the sportswear uniforms made them look dull. They said the Korean uniforms had many advantages such as raising interest in class and lifting confidence.
As for concerns about romance, the students believe that love is love and has no relationship to the uniforms.
The Department of Education: The schools can choose their own styles. Either sportswear or other uniforms are OK. Currently, most middle and elementary schools in Nanjing have sportswear uniforms.
Expert: Fashionable school uniforms can increase students’ interest in learning.
Parents don’t need to worry too much about early romances. Today’s primary and middle school students have strong personalities and their appreciation of beauty is rapidly forming. A fashionable uniform can develop their sense of belonging to the school and reduce their resistance to the school’s management.
But we don’t have to follow Korean or Japanese styles. We should design our own Chinese style uniforms.
63. Which of the following is NOT the parents’ reason for being against Korean-style school uniforms?
A. The uniforms will encourage early romances.
B. It is a way for the school to make money.
C. The new uniforms don’t wash well.
D. The new uniforms will affect the students’ studies.
64. Students think the new uniforms will________.
A. make them have good taste in fashion B. make them feel confident
C. make them feel proud of their school D. reduce their fear of teachers
65. The opinion of the expert is to________.
A. forbid the students to wear fashionable uniforms
B. encourage the students to wear sportswear uniforms
C. design uniforms in a Chinese style
D. wear new uniforms in a foreign style
66. We can infer from the passage that_________.
A. school uniforms are mostly blue or black
B. few students are willing to wear school uniforms
C. school uniforms are a waste of money
D. schools are encouraged to choose their own uniforms
B
Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent（具备智能的）. They will help shoppers find paper cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices（触摸屏装置）are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week. “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Networks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
“The whole model is driven by advertisers’ need to get in front of shoppers,” said Alexander. “They’re not watching 30-second TV ads anymore.”
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system（系统）that will organize the trip around the store. If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The device also keeps a record of what you buy. When you’re finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $ 160,000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $ 500 for each device.
59. The underlined word “They”（paragraph 1）refers to ______.
A. supermarkets B. shop assistants C. shopping carts D. shop managers
60. Which of the following is the correct order of shopping with computerized shopping carts?
a. Start the system. b. Make a shopping list.
c. Find the things you want. d. Go to a self-checkout stand.
A. abdc B. bacd C. acbd D. bcad
61. We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.
A. intelligent shopping carts cost a large sum of money
B. the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices
C. shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid
D. average stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices
62. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. New age for supermarkets.
B. Concierge and Shopping Buddy.
C. New computers make shopping carts smarter.
D. Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
A
There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee（委员会）, the students would be in fear , because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave . A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again . Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
Then the professor asked about the cure（药剂,疗法）for the illness , and the student , too , answered just as right . “Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon,” answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get,” said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given .Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops. ”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly, “but it’s too late. Your patient has died. ”
56. The students were afraid of the professor because _______.
A. they often angered and disappointed him
B. their answers often astonished him
C. their answers seldom satisfied him
D. he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks
57. The student’s description of the illness was ________ .
A. not correctB. not satisfying
C. completely discouraging D. accepted
58 Which guess is the most reasonable from the passage?
A. The student must have passed the exam.
B. The student may not have passed the exam.
C. The student must have been very happy when he heard, “Your patient has died . ”
D. The professor must have been very pleased and given the student a good mark.
(C)
Daban town is famous for girls and windmills , while Loulan is a myth(神话) in the desert. Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful and rich Loubu Lake, there lay Loulan ancient city of the Silk Raod. Businessmen from every country gathered and there were dancing parties. Everything shows that people in Loulan lived a rich life then.
However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. It became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks.
Loulan was first“discovered” by a Swedish man named Sven Hedin in 1900. People from America, British , Japan and Sweden, all set foot here. Then in the 1930’s, a Chinese man named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.
It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of the Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin Dynasties, and covered an area of some 100,000 sq. metres. Inside the city , there are the ruins of government offices, temples and other old buildings. Outside the city there are some dried-up rivers and much farmland. In the past century, many things have been dug up there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and many others of Greek and Roman times. All these things show that a lot of business between the East and West once took place there.
Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless “forests” of mounds( 小丘 ) which aren’t easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery has been attracting many people from many countries.
46.The first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century was______.
A. a European B. an American C. an Englishman D. a Japanese
47.Before Loulan disappeared, ________.
A. people from America and Japan had set foot there.
B. much business between the East and West had taken place there.
C. a lifeless area with lots of mounds could easily be seen there
D. there were no government offices or temples
48. We can infer from the passage that_______.
A. Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there
B. wars between Dynasties made Loulan disappear
C. foreigners came to Loulan and destroyed it
D. how Loulan disappeared is still unknown to us
49. What makes so many people visit the Loulan Kingdom now?
A. Its beautiful scenery . B. Its developing business.
C. Its mystery. D. The treasures.
50. The title for this passage might be_______.
A. Famous Town, Daban B. Ancient Town in the Desert
C. Business in Ancient Loulan D. Cities in Ancient China