“A very destructive seven-year old child kicked my legs and scratched at my hand,” said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked,” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential, regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school, even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough,but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table,and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.
What problem do people ignore in the writer’s opinion?
A.The school violence |
B.The pressure of students’ learning |
C.The right to achieve students’ potential |
D.Students’ responsibilities |
The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be that of .
A.dissatisfaction | B.sympathy | C.understanding | D.tolerance |
The underlined part in Paragraph 4 may mean .
A.children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
B.parents care little about children’s life at home |
C.children spend little time with their parents at home |
D.parents attempt to establish a good relationship with their children |
From the last paragraph,we can infer that
.
A.school can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
B.teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
C.parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn |
D.students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Children’s behavior at school is worrying people |
B.Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits |
C.There is no point in parents’teaching children at home |
D.Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing |
LONDON---A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake(假冒的)bomb detectors(探测器)to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadn’t cared about potentially deadly consequences.
It is believed that James McCormick got about $ 77.8 million from the sales of his detectors---which were based on a kind of golf ball finder---to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.
McCormick, 57, was convicted(判罪)of cheats last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.
“Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people,” Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. “You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt.”
The detectors, sold for up to $ 42, 000 each, were said to be able to find such dangerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they “lacked any grounding in science” and were of no use.
McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.
“I never had any bad results from customers,” he said.Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?
A.He sold bombs. | B.He caused death of people. |
C.He made detectors. | D.He cheated in business. |
According to the judge, what McCormick had done .
A.increased the cost of safeguarding |
B.lowered people’s guard against danger |
C.changed people’s idea of social security |
D.caused innocent people to commit crimes |
Which of the following is true of the detectors?
A.They have not been sold to Africa |
B.They have caused many serious problems. |
C.They can find dangerous objects in water. |
D.They don’t function on the basis of science. |
It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick .
A.solo the equipment at a low price |
B.was well-known in most countries |
C.did not think he had committed the crime |
D.had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the text |
Fun day
To celebrate the Year of the Snake
Organized by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High school
Date:2 February 2013
Time:10 am – 5 pm
Place:Kwn Tong Playground
Fee: $ 20 (buy three get one free)
Programmes:drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performance
Highlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital camer
2) learn to make festival food
John us on the Fun day!
All are welcome!
Note:
★Ticket are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Centre.
★For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before
the activity.What you have just read is a .
A.note | B.report | C.schedule | D.poster |
What is going to take place on 2 February, 2013?
A.A big event to welcome a Chinese new year. |
B.A social gathering to raise money for wildlife. |
C.A party for close friends to meet and have fun. |
D.A meeting of Kwun Tong High School students. |
How much do you have to pay in total if four of you go together?
A.$ 20. | B.$ 40 | C.$ 60. | D.$ 80 |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. |
B.It’s unnecessary to take soft drinks with you. |
C.Free digital cameras are provided for everybody. |
D.Festival food will be served without extra charge. |
According to sociologists, every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification(阶层). Class, power and status are important in deciding people’s rank in society.
Class means a person’s economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning $500,000 a year and a bus driver earning $50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class!
Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise(行使)big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For example, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding (相应的)economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class.
To our knowledge, there aren’t too many people who aren’t millionaires in the U.S. Senate!
Status is the honor or respect attached to a person’s position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.What can we learn about “the middle class” from Paragraph 2?
A.People earning $50,000 a year belong to the middle class. |
B.Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class. |
C.People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class. |
D.Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class. |
According to the text, we know that _____.
A.power and class do not always correspond with each other |
B.status refers to a person’s economic position in society |
C.people with high status have a lot of control over others |
D.class is less important in deciding a person’s social rank |
Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I’ve found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it’s the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors---silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.
It’s fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can’t provide.
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.
My first ride home was orderly (守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a “pack” of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn’t want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.
I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?
A.Because they are traditional and safe. |
B.Because they are convenient and inexpensive. |
C.Because they are colorful and available. |
D.Because they are fast and environment friendly. |
The author decided to buy a bicycle because he intended __________.
A.to ride it for fun | B.to use it for transport |
C.to experience local skills | D.to improve his riding skills |
How did the author feel about his street crossing?
A.It was boring. | B.It was difficult. |
C.It was lively. | D.It was wonderful. |
Which of the following best describes the author’s biking experience?
A.The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills. |
B.The author was annoyed by the air while riding. |
C.The author was praised by the other bikers. |
D.The author took great pleasure in biking. |
Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars. They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers. Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth.
We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures. These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars. Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there. This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists.
Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth’s plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth. But it will take at least 300 years.
Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt. The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support. Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species. We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate. Currently terraforming earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places.
While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible .Even if earth –bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth.
The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Terraforming Mars. | B.Saving the Earth |
C.Travelling to Mars. | D.A Newly-found Place |
What does the underlined word “altering” mean in the second paragraph?
A.Warming. | B.Changing. | C.Planting. | D.Building |
According to the passage the main purpose of terraforming Mars is to ________.
A.do some scientific research work |
B.find out its similarity to earth |
C.avoid the dying away of many other species |
D.find on Mars living place for the increasing human beings |
The main reason for causing many people to consider terraforming Mars is that _______.
A.there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars. |
B.terraforming Mars is theoretically simple |
C.we have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: Earth |
D.the development of science and technology is very rapid |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the project?
A.Optimistic. | B.Negative |
C.Sceptical(怀疑的) | D.Objective. |