In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism--the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize all possible basic knowledge. Instead, they work individually and find answers by themselves.There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.
In most Asia societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems of education. For example, one advantage of the system in Japan is that students there learn much more about math, physics, biology and chemistry than American students by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.
The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is .
| A．to share his idea with others in a new way |
| B．to introduce two different systems of education through contrast |
| C．to criticize the society that values memorization |
| D．to prepare students for society |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The system of education in the West is more creative than that in the East |
| B．Japanese students learn much more about science than American students. |
| C．Canadian students are more individual than Korean students. |
| D．Students in North America are not so friendly as those in Asia. |
From the facts, we can infer that .
| A．Asian students are more likely to do better in teamwork than American students |
| B．Chinese students are more hard-working in their studies than Mexican students |
| C．the Western educational system is much better than the Eastern educational system. |
| D．the Eastern educational system is as difficult as the Western educational system. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Advantages and Disadvantages of Educational System. |
| B．The Value of Individualism. |
| C．Educational System-an Obvious Difference between the East and the West. |
| D．Memorization-an Important Learning Method. |
I arrived at the bus station much too early for the London bus, which was not to leave until five to twelve. I pushed through the crowds, looking for somewhere to sit down. Scores of people were standing about, or struggling along with their bags and the cases to find the right lines. There was a party of school girls. I could see teachers trying to keep them in order. But there was nowhere for me to sit.
I stepped into the station buffet. I looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. I found a seat opposite a large mirror on the wall. Just then a friend of mine called Jim came in and sat with me. "What time is your bus?" asked Jim. "Oh, there's a plenty of time yet," I answered. "Oh, I'll get some drinks then," said Jim. We talked while drinking. Then I looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going backward!" I cried. "A moment ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said Jim. I could kick myself for being so stupid. I had not realized that the marks for one and eleven on the face of the clock were the same. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. I have never liked mirror since then. The London bus left ________.
| A．at five to twelve | B．before five to twelve |
| C．after five to twelve | D．until five to twelve |
The writer went to the station buffet because ________.
| A．he was thirsty |
| B．he saw the station buffet was not so crowded |
| C．it was still early for his bus and he couldn't find a place to sit at the bus station |
| D．he had changed his mind; he wouldn't go to London |
The writer sat ________.
| A．behind a mirror | B．facing a mirror |
| C．under a mirror | D．near a mirror |
Jim came to the station buffet at about ________.
| A．twenty to twelve | B．twenty past twelve |
| C．half past one | D．twenty past eleven |
What time was it when the writer looked at the clock again?
It was ________.
| A．half past eleven | B．twelve thirty |
| C．twelve twenty | D．eleven thirty |
What time is it? Most people are pretty accurate in their answer. And if you don’t know for sure, it’s very likely that you can find out. There may be a watch on your wrist; there may be a clock on the wall, desk, or computer screen; or maybe you’re riding in a car that has a clock in the dashboard(仪表板).
Even if you don’t have a timepiece of some sort nearby, your body keeps its own beat. Humans have an internal clock that regulates(调节) the beating of our heart, the pace of our breathing, the discharge(排出) of chemicals within our bloodstream, and many other bodily functions.
Time is something from which we can’t escape. Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is, “Who’s in charge?” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.
By taking control of how you spend your time, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you will have to spend on your outside interests.
The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day. Instead, the aim is to permit us to make informed choices as to how we use our time. Rather than letting the day go by, largely without our awareness, what we are going to discuss next can make us better able to control time for our own purposes. The underlined word “ally” in Para.3 most likely means somebody or something that is ___.
| A．your supporter and helps you | B．under your control and obeys you |
| C．under your influence and follows you | D．your slave and serves you |
The author intends to tell you that time __________.
| A．could be managed by the internal clock of human bodies |
| B．should be well managed for our own interest |
| C．should be saved for outside interests |
| D．could be regulated by a timepiece such as a clock or a watch |
In the next part, the author would most probably discuss with you _________.
| A．how to make up for lost time | B．how to have a good time |
| C．how to make good use of time | D．how to keep up with the times |
Members of the working class have blue-collar jobs. They are construction workers, truck drivers, mechanican, steel workers, electricians, and the like. What makes this class differ from the lower class is, first, longer periods of employment—and therefore, more fixed incomes—and , second, employment in skilled or semi-skilled occupations, not unskilled ones. Although unemployment hits all levels of the American economy, including those of skilled and semi-skilled workers, it is most common at the bottom of the class structure and increasingly less common at each level upward. They consider themselves to be respectable and hard-working and they look down upon members of the “low” class, whom they often consider to be lazy, dishonest, and too ready to exploit public assistance.
Most people in the working class have at least high school education. Many have some experience of college(especially community college), though few are college graduates. Unionization has helped the working class, but a rapidly changing economy and frequent periods of high unemployment make it difficult for most of its members to be able to increase their savings greatly. Purchasing a house for people in this class is extremely difficult, although a certain percentage may receive houses from their parents. (Home-owning rises with social class.)
A greater number of the members of the working class take relatively little satisfaction in their jobs, because much of their work is ordinary and boring. As a result, many seek their main satisfaction in recreational activities. Many members of this class would like to earn enough money to leave their jobs and start their own businesses, though few make it. Many place their expectations on their children, hoping that they at least will rise in the ladder of success. Which of the following is true about the working class?
| A．They are often offered jobs with high incomes. |
| B．They are employed as skilled and semi-skilled workers. |
| C．They are often considered lazy and dishonest. |
| D．They are often exploited by the public. |
The word “hit” in paragraph one roughly means__________.
| A．have bad effects on | B．break up |
| C．beat | D．strike with a blow |
Most people in the working class ________.
| A．have at least some experience of college |
| B．receive houses from their parents |
| C．buy houses by themselves |
| D．have difficulty increasing their savings greatly |
Many members from the working class are not satisfied with their jobs because _____.
| A．they are not interested in their jobs. |
| B．they could not earn much money |
| C．they are not their own bosses |
| D．they could not rise in the ladder of success |
A few years ago I had an “aha!” moment regarding handwriting.
I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task. It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting, and then I realized whose it must be. I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year, maybe two, and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point.
It was a very important event in the computerization of life---a sign that the informal, friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails. There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters and we recognized one another’s handwriting the way we know voices or faces.
As a child, visiting my father’s office, I was pleased to recognize, in little notes on the desk of his staff, the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge---except that those notes were signed “dad” instead of “RFW’.
All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The rise and Fall of Handwriting, a book by Florey. She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well, but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen.
I don’t buy it.
I don’t want to see anyone cut off from expressive, personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does. For many a biographer, part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting.
What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th-century Italy. That may sound impossibly grand---as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings. However, they have worked in many school systems.Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?
| A．He had worked with his colleague long enough. |
| B．His colleague’s handwriting was so beautiful. |
| C．His colleague’s handwriting was so terrible. |
| D．He still had a lot of work to do. |
People working together in an office used to __________.
| A．talk more about handwriting |
| B．take more notes on workdays |
| C．know better one another’s handwriting |
| D．communicate better with one another |
According to the author, handwritten notes ___________.
| A．are harder to teach in schools | B．attract more attention |
| C．are used only between friends | D．carry more message |
We can learn from the passage that the author _____________.
| A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting |
| B．does not want to lose handwriting |
| C．does not agree with Florey |
| D．puts the blame on the computer |
Everyone knows the smart black-and-white dog that sits on top of a red doghouse with his best friend---a bird called Woodstock.
Created by the American cartoonist Charles Schulz in 1950, the clever dog is loved by generations of kids and adults. He speaks more than 20 languages and appears daily in 26,000 newspapers around the world.
When Snoopy first appeared, he was not different form other pet dogs. But two years later, he had begun to speak with simple words and sounds. By 1957 he could walk on two legs and was going to school with his master, Charlie Brown, who failed in just about everything. Later he learned to use the typewriter.
Snoopy has done lots of jobs. He has been a bow-tie wearing lawyer, a tennis player, an Olympic figure skater, a world famous grocery checkout clerk, a pilot and even the first astronaut on the moon.
However, Snoopy has always dreamed of being a famous writer. The beginning of his story is always, “It was a dark and stormy night…” Unfortunately for him no one has ever wanted to publish the story.
In love, Snoopy is as much of a failure as Charlie Brown is at baseball. He easily falls in love but always has his heart broken. He eats to forget, but it never works.
Snoopy is an insightful, feel-good and sometimes sad dog. If you think a little about words, you might find them full of life lessons. Among his most famous lines are “To live is to dance, to dance is to live.” And “Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There’s so little hope for advancement”. Snoopy has done all the following jobs except ____________.
| A．a lawyer | B．a player | C．a clerk | D．a writer |
From the passage, we can learn that _________.
| A．Snoopy is always a sad dog |
| B．Snoopy can not speak in the beginning |
| C．Snoopy often dreams of true love |
| D．Snoopy is a real smart pet dog |
It can be inferred that Snoopy ____________.
| A．has many bird friends and relatives |
| B．is a well-known writer and clerk |
| C．has been unfortunate since it was born |
| D．is very popular in the whole world |
The word “advancement” in the last paragraph probably means__________.
| A．success | B．progress | C．growth | D．popularity |