When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble – a word game – against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 10 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.What does the author do?
| A．She is a cook. | B．She is a teacher. |
| C．She is a housewife. | D．She is a computer engineer. |
The author decided to give her mother a computer .
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter .
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that mother could be free from housework |
After the computer was brought home, the author’s father .
| A．lost interest in cooking | B．took more phone calls |
| C．played more games | D．began to use it |
Man, a land animal. But he is also closely tied to the sea. Throughout history the sea has served the needs of man. The sea has provided man with food and a convenient way to travel to many parts of the world. Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population live within 80 kilometers of the sea coast.
In the modern technological world, the sea offers many resources to help mankind survive. Resources on land are beginning to be used up. The sea, however, still can be hoped to supply many of man’s needs.
The list of riches of the sea yet to be developed by man’s technology is big. Oil and gas explorations have been carried out for nearly 30 years. Valuable amounts of minerals exist on the ocean floor ready to be mined.
Fish farming promises to be a good way to produce large quantities of food. The culture of fish and shellfish (贝类动物) is an ancient skill practised in the past mainly by Oriental people, including people in China.
Besides oil and gas, the sea may offer new sources of energy. Experts believe that the warm temperature of the ocean can be used in a way similar to the steam in a steamship. Ocean currents and waves offer possible use as a source of energy.
Technology is enabling man to explore ever more deeply under the sea. The development of strong, new materials has made this possible.
The technology to harvest the sea continues to improve. Experts believe that by the year 2020 the problems that prevent us from exploiting（开发） fully the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea will be largely solved.The major things that the sea offers man are ______.
| A．fish and oil |
| B．minerals and oil |
| C．warm temperature and ocean currents |
| D．the food, energy sources, and minerals |
We can conclude from this passage that ______.
| A．the sea resources have largely been used up |
| B．the sea, in the broad sense, has not yet been developed |
| C．the problems that prevent us from using the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea have already been solved. |
| D．by the year 2020, the technology will be good enough to exploit all the sea resources |
The underlined words “Oriental people” in the fourth paragraph probably mean ______.
A．the people in Asia |
B．African people |
| C．European people | D．American people |
The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．Sea Harvest | B．Sea Food |
| C．Technology for Exploiting the Sea | D．Man and the Sea |
阅读下面短文，并根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的字数要求）。
[1]Global difference in intelligence is a sensitive topic, long filled with a large number of different opinions. But recent data has indeed shown cognitive (认知的) ability to be higher in some countries than in others. What's more, IQ scores have risen as nations develop—a phenomenon known as the "Flynn effect". Many causes have been put forward for both the intelligence difference and the Flynn effect, including education, income, and even non-agricultural labor. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of New Mexico offers another interesting theory: intelligence may be linked to infectious-disease rates.
[2]The brain, say author Christopher Eppig and his colleagues, is the "most costly organ in the human body". Brainpower consumes almost up to 90 percent of a newborn's energy. It's clear that if something affects energy intake while the brain is growing, the impact could be long and serious. And for vast parts of the globe, the biggest threat to a child's body—and therefore brain—is parasitic (由寄生虫引起的) infection. These illnesses threaten brain development________________. They can directly attack live tissue, which the body must then try every means to replace. They can invade the digestive pipe and block nutritional intake. They can rob the body's cells for their own reproduction. And then there's the energy channeled (输送) to the immune system to fight the infection.
[3]Using data on national "disease burdens" (life years lost due to infectious diseases) and average intelligence scores, the authors found they are closely associated. The countries with the lowest average IQ scores have the highest disease burdens without exception. On the contrary, nations with low disease burdens top the IQ list.
[4]If the study holds water, it could be revolutionary for our understanding of the still-confusing variation in national intelligence scores.What is the main idea of the text？(no more than 10 words)________________________
Complete the following statement with proper words.(no more than 4 words)
Those countries that have the ________________ are always at the bottom of the IQ list. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words.(no more than 5 words)
___________What can cause intelligence difference？(no more than 8 words)
________________________________________________________________________What does the word "they" (Line 2, Paragraph 3) probably refer to？(no more than 8 words)
________________________________________________________________________
Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders(教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would-be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death. According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by ______.
| A．a church | B．a corporation | C．a city | D．a state |
The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.
| A．schooling and retraining | B．practice in a hospital |
| C．facilities he or she uses | D．education he or she receives |
According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?
| A．About seven years. | B．Eight years. | C．Ten years. | D．About twelve years. |
Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.
| A．there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them |
| B．they can take turns to work long hours |
| C．facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder |
| D．no one wants to assume too much responsibility |
Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
| A．For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay. |
| B．It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous. |
| C．Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions. |
| D．Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded. |
The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _____．
| A．educate the public on protecting the environment |
| B．discuss global warming and other environmental problems |
| C．explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment |
| D．learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment |
The organizer of the event is _____．
| A．Global Gaia Network | B．Clean Energy Agency |
| C．Green Earth Foundation | D．International Environment Fund |
If you are interested in renewable energy sources, you should go to _____．
| A．Hall 1 | B．Hall 2 | C．Hall 3 | D．Hall 4 |
The "3 Rs" stand for _____．
| A．Read, Realize and Remember | B．Reduce, Reuse and Recycle |
| C．Green Earth Foundation | D．Global Gaia Network |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the event?
| A．It will last a week and the halls will be open 11 hours a day． |
| B．You can send an email to Mrs．Daisy Soh for more information． |
| C．Each hall charges the same amount of money as the other． |
| D．Lectures in Hall 1 will be given by university students． |
Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States, France and Germany, and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic instruction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.
| A．prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching |
| B．teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest |
| C．push the kids to memorize pieces of information |
| D．care about the kids’ physical development |
What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．did better than | B．looked down upon |
| C．caught up with | D．performed worse than |
According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning __.
| A．is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability |
| B．needs to be improved to develop children’s academic ability |
| C．will cause problems to children in their future learning |
| D．has more advantages than disadvantages |
The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _____.
| A．can start at different times in different countries. | B．should not be started too early |
| C．is best carried out in Finland and Sweden | |
| D．should include teaching children social and manual skills |
Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?
| A．Children should be taught through first-hand experience. |
| B．Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children. |
| C．Running a shop can help children get good marks. |
| D．Puppet shows and drawing are useful in teaching children. |