Most American schools have boys and girls in the same classroom. But a public high school in the small, rural town of Boonsboro, Maryland, offers a special program called the Academy. Top students in the ninth and tenth grades can attend single-sex classes for math, science, English and social studies.
The aim is to help teenagers keep their mind on their work by keeping males and females apart. What they really want to do is take that top group of kids and take them to the very highest level they can achieve there, so that they’re prepared for college.
Students are invited to enter this program after they finish middle school, and placement in the Academy is voluntary. However, they need high marks and test scores and strong teacher recommendations. They also need to be involved in activities.
Almost 350 students have taken part in the Academy. It began as an experiment in 2010.
Michael Bair has been at Boonsboro High for twenty years and directs the Academy. His ninth-grade English class for boys centers on books that he believes boys find interesting. He says that the novels the students are reading now are very manly (男子气概的) novels. These novels deal with the arrogance (傲慢) of man and the pride of man which finally leads to man’s downfall.
One of those books, for example, is The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This classic story tells of a dog stolen from his home and sold to work as a sled dog in Canada’s Klondike Gold Rush.
Morgan Fleet, a senior at Boonsboro High, likes being in the Academy. She says boys and girls act differently when they are together in a classroom. She believes this difference seems to prevent her from developing herself because she’s more focused on thoughts like “Oh, I wish they would shut up. Oh, what do they think of me?’’ instead of focusing on “What’s the homework? What’s going on in this class? What’s the lesson?”.
There is one activity that girls and boys in the Academy do together. At the end of the day, many of them stay and help tutor students who are having trouble in school.What is the purpose of the Academy program?
| A．To offer a special program in high school. |
| B．To help students concentrate on study. |
| C．To strengthen sex education for teenagers. |
| D．To start learning college courses earlier. |
To enter the Academy program, students are NOT required to _________.
| A．do well in their study | B．be recommended by teachers |
| C．take part in some activities | D．have worked as volunteers |
The Call of the Wild is given as an example to show that male students ___.
| A．should learn more about literature |
| B．should have a sense of protecting the wildlife |
| C．are reading more manly novels |
| D．are interested in stories on animals |
Which is likely to be Morgan Fleet’s opinion?
| A．A girl cares about the boys’ opinions of her. |
| B．Single-sex classes should be stopped. |
| C．Girls are more focused when studying with boys. |
| D．Boys and girls act the same in separate classrooms. |
The passage is intended to _________.
| A．introduce the single-sex class project |
| B．explain the differences between boys and girls |
| C．persuade students to enter the Academy program |
| D．urge students to work hard in their study |
Paparazzi, or "paps", are photographers who take pictures of famous people when they are not at the center of public attention. Paps are different from professional photographers or journalists because they never take ordinary photos.
The goal for paparazzi is to get pictures that no one else will get and then sell the pictures to the buyer who offers the most money —normally a small newspaper, magazine or website.
There is no law against paparazzi taking pictures in public places. However, there are laws that protect certain individuals. For example, child protection laws stop improper (不合适的) pictures of anyone under 16 from being published.
There is also no law that stops paparazzi from following celebrities (名人) and taking their pictures either. However, if paps are secretly following them and taking pictures of their faces, they could get into trouble.
Most paparazzi hang out on streets and hot spots for celebrities, waiting for the opportunity to take a picture of a star. Many stay on the streets until the early hours of the morning when celebrities are leaving nightclubs and looking a little worse for wear. However, some have other ways to make sure they get pictures. Many paps are in contact with "informers" who know the locations of celebrities at any given time. They then pass the information on to paparazzi. An informer could be anyone —from a restaurant waiter to a salesman.
Most of the time, paparazzi get a bad reputation for following celebrities. But sometimes stars or their managers will contact paps themselves and tell them exactly where and when they will go.
What a love-hate relationship between paparazzi and celebrities!Which of the following things paparazzi might do would be against the law?
| A．Taking pictures of famous people in public places. |
| B．Getting unsuitable pictures of a 10-year-old actress published. |
| C．Following a famous woman singer secretly and taking her pictures. |
| D．Hanging out at the places where celebrities often appear. |
In order to earn big money a pap has to ________.
| A．get the only first-hand pictures |
| B．sell the pictures to a big newspaper |
| C．make friends with famous people |
| D．know the locations of celebrities |
The fifth paragraph mainly tells us ________.
| A．how paparazzi get the pictures |
| B．how dangerous paparazzi’s job is |
| C．how much paparazzi pay for the pictures |
| D．how paparazzi contact informers |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Paparazzi always take pictures when famous people are tired. |
| B．Stars hate paparazzi and don’t want to be followed. |
| C．Paparazzi and famous people rely on each other sometimes. |
| D．Informers might get paparazzi into trouble. |
Opened in 1971, the Magic Kingdom was the first theme park at Walt Disney World. All Disney World theme parks are open 365 days a year, although opening and closing times for each park are different from day to day. Ifyou are traveling without kids, try to visit it on a school day to avoid the largest crowds. If you need to visit it during a school vacation, try at least to avoid the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July.
If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on its Extra Magic Hours days. The hotel guests get into the park early on those days, increasing the waiting time for visitors who arrive at the normal opening time.
Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online at Disney World’s website. There will be some advice on picking the right ticket. See the guide to Disney World tickets. You will also need to call in advance to make lunch or dinner reservations (预订). Disney accepts reservations, through 1-407-WDW-DINE, up to 180 days in advance. Time does pass quickly, so you should call six months before your trip to get a lunch reservation in the castle. We suggest you should have your lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table for your tour. If you can’t get the reservation, ask for the Liberty Tree Tavern instead.
Keep in mind that to reach the Magic Kingdom, you must park at Disney World’s Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) parking lot, take a tram (有轨电车), and then take a boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. We learn from the passage that ______.
| A．children are not allowed to visit Disney World on New Year’s Day |
| B．Disney World theme parks have the same opening and closing times |
| C．a single adult had better visit the Magic Kingdom on a school day |
| D．the Magic Kingdom was the earliest theme park in the world |
If you want to have dinner in the Walt Disney World, you can ______.
| A．see the guide to Disney World tickets to reserve a table |
| B．make a call to reserve a table for dinner in advance |
| C．use 1-407-WDW-DINE to reserve about 3 months in advance |
| D．go to Cinderella’s Royal Table or the Liberty Tree Tavern at any time you like |
Which of the following is TRUE according to passage?
| A．Disney World theme parks will be closed on Christmas Day. |
| B．The only way to get Walt Disney World tickets is to buy them online. |
| C．Visitors have to reach the Magic Kingdom by tram and then boat. |
| D．The Magic Kingdom has Extra Magic Hours every day. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The History of the Magic Kingdom |
| B．A Brief Introduction to the Magic Kingdom |
| C．Advice on Making a Trip to the Magic Kingdom |
| D．The Most Important Theme Park at Walt Disney World |
Here are some advertisements taken from a newspaper.
(1) Dear Drew Carter,
Your first year on this earth has been a pleasure ride for all of us. We love you!
Love,
Dad and Mom and many friends.
(2)Lawlis-Clarke
The Doctors Virgil and Marjorie Lawlis are pleased to announce the engagement(订婚) of their daughter Diane Susan to Mr.Robert Brent Clarke,son of Mr.and Mrs.James Clarke of Herford,Texas.
A spring wedding is planned in Houston.
(3) Isbell-Foss
Mr.and Mrs.Davis K.Isbell announce the marriage of their daughter Dang to Mr.Stanley Foss,son of Mrs.John Sipe of Ada,Minnesota.
The wedding will be early April at Abiding Love Lutheran Church.
(4) Story-Kurio
Miss Stephanie Story and Mr.Warren Kurio were married February 5,at half past seven o’clock in the evening at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas,Texas.The bride(新娘) is the daughter of Mr.and Mrs.Herbert Brule Story Jr.of Dallas.The groom(新郎)is the son of Mr.and Mrs.Gerald Stanley Kurio of Austin.What would be the best title for the first advertisement?
| A．We Love You |
| B．Happy 1st Birthday |
| C．One Year Old |
| D．Our One-Year-Old Son |
Lawlis and Clarke are going to get married_________.
| A．in a church |
| B．where Clarke’s parents live |
| C．against their parents’ will |
| D．to Lawlis’s parents’ joy |
Who got or will get married in spring?
| A．Not only Lawlis and Clarke but also Isbell and Foss. |
| B．Neither Lawlis and Clarke nor Isbell and Foss. |
| C．Either Isbell and Foss or Story and Kurio. |
| D．Neither Lawlis and Clarke nor Story and Kurio. |
Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human Being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who doesn't know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learnt swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal doesn't.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam（堵塞） if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes are slippery and slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change?In the author’s opinion, if a person in deep water doesn’t know how to swim, he will drown because______.
| A．he is afraid of water. |
| B．he believes he will drown. |
| C．he hasn’t learnt to swim before. |
| D．he don’t want to live in the world. |
The author thinks that the letters organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to ______
A. save more space
B. satisfy the operator
C.reduce one’s typing speed
D increase one’s typing speedThe author’s experiment shows that____
| A．snakes are dry and clean |
| B．snakes can be caught easily |
| C．snakes are slimy and poisonous |
| D．snakes in India aren’t poisonous |
According to the passage, we know that_____
| A．students from India have unrealistic beliefs on how to live a better life |
| B．an animal who hasn’t learnt how to swim will drown if you put it in pond. |
| C．most people don’t like the order the letters are arranged on your keyboard |
| D．Roger Banister was the first person who ran a mile in less than four minutes. |
The main idea of this passage should be that______.
| A．Beliefs are very powerful. |
| B．Beliefs make us seem stupid. |
| C．Changing your beliefs now is necessary. |
| D．People should always believe in themselves. |
John Fisher, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth wanted more living space, so they left their small flat for an old 40-meter-high castle tower. They have spent five years turning it into a beautiful home with six floors, winning three architectural prizes.
“I love the space, and being private,” Elizabeth says. “You feel separated from the world. If I am in the kitchen, which is 25 meters above the ground floor, and the doorbell rings, I don’t have to answer it because visitors can’t see I am in!”
There are 142 steps to the top so if I go up and down five or six times a day, it’s very good exercise! But having to carry heavy things to the top is terrible, so I never buy more than two bags of shopping from the supermarket at a time. Except for that, it’s a brilliant place to live.
“When we first saw the place, I asked my father’s advice about buying it, because we couldn’t decide. After paying for it, we were a bit worried because it looked awful. But we really loved it, and knew how we wanted it to look.”
“Living here can be difficult—yesterday I climbed a four-meter ladder to clean the windows. But when you stand on the roof you can see all the way out to the sea on a clear day, and that’s a wonderful experience. I am really glad we moved. ”What is the writer trying to do in the text?
| A．describe how to turn an old tower into a house |
| B．recommend(推荐) a particular builder |
| C．describe what it is like to live in a tower |
| D．explain how to win prizes for building work |
Which of the following best describes Elizabeth’s feelings about the tower?
| A．She wanted it as soon as she saw it. |
| B．She likes most things about it. |
| C．She has been worried since they paid for it. |
| D．She finds it unsuitable to live in. |
What problem does Elizabeth have with living in such a tall building?
| A．Her visitors find it hard to see if she is at home. |
| B．She feels separated from others. |
| C．She cannot bring home lots of shopping at once. |
| D．It is impossible to clean any of the windows. |
How will John and Elizabeth advertise their tower if they sell it?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |