Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All_this_hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(考试的突击准备) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p．m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.The students spend the least time in school in ________.
| A．the UK | B．Finland | C．the USA | D．Korea |
According to the text, we think in Korea ________.
| A．students spend more time in studying |
| B．students are tired of studying in class |
| C．students leave their school early |
| D．students are always top scorers |
The underlined phrase “All this hothousing” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.
| A．private evening tutoring | B．selfstudy at home |
| C．longhour study | D．school study |
From Paragraph 3, we can know that ________.
| A．Finnish students are less stressed in study |
| B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain |
| C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia |
| D．British schools are less competitive than universities |
According to the author, the key to improving education is ________.
| A．the attitude | B．the schooling time |
| C．star pupils | D．new teaching approach |
How to Tell If Someone Is Happy or Sad on the Phone
Scientists have come up with some researches on what makes different types of people“tick”.
The scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed new mobile phone technology called Emotion Sense that can tell if a caller is happy, angry or sad.
Scientists hope to fit the speech recognition system to standard mobile phones and use it to determine emotions—it will also use a GPS tracking system to log where the call is made.
And they’ve already made some pretty major breakthroughs into really getting under the skin of us humans.
The results from the pilot scheme make interesting scientific reading. Among the key revelations (﹦facts) are that callers feel happier at home and sadder at work.
To break it down, scientifically, it shows 45 percent of all emotions produced at home are “happy”and 54 percent of emotions at work are “sad”.
Meanwhile, people show more “intense”(﹦nervous) emotions in the evening than they do in the morning.
Of course, this could just be because most people feel too tired in the morning to get overly “intense”. Eating breakfast and getting to work on time is usually enough of an achievement.
Anyway, the Emotion Sense technology has been developed by psychologists(心理学家) and computer scientists who say it uses speech recognition software and phone sensors(传感器) attached to standard smart phones to judge how callers’ emotions are changed by everyday factors.
The sensors analyze voice samples and these are then divided into five categories: happiness, sadness, fearfulness, anger or neutral-—boredom or passivity(消极) would fit into this last category.How many emotions can the sensors tell?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Scientists have put something testing people’s emotions under humans’ skin. |
| B．There were some breakthroughs in this technology in getting something from people’s skin. |
| C．In this technology, people’s skin was broken through. |
| D．There were improvements in testing people’s emotions. |
Why do most people feel less intense in the morning than in the evening?
| A．Because morning is the start of a new day. |
| B．because they feel too tired in the morning. |
| C．Because of humans’ physiological structure. |
| D．Because of the fresh air and bright sunlight. |
Which of the following hasn’t been put into the standard mobile phones?
| A．Speech recognition software. | B．Phone sensors. |
| C．GPS sensors. | D．Translation system. |
I woke up this morning. There is an empty feeling that I have had so many times before and it seems to be coming back into my mind. What is it? I can’t figure it out.
I got ready for work. On the way I decide to stop and get a cheese from the little shop just down the road. I have never been there before but I was hungry and it would be 5 hours before I got off work.
The owner of the store took my order. He asked me what I wanted and I told him I heard he made a great cheese. He seemed pleased to hear that.
As I was sitting in the small space，there was an elderly gentleman finishing his breakfast. He paid the waitress, received this change and made a small joke. As he turned to get up, which was quite a difficult feat for this gentleman, he looked over at me. I gave a small smile.
He looked again in my direction for a moment and said to me, “Has anyone ever told you, you have the most beautiful brown eyes?”
Seeing as I have blue eyes, I can’t say I have ever heard that before. I humored him and said, “No, I can’t say anyone has ever told me that before.”
He smiled, and said,“Well since they are blue you wouldn’t have heard that, but you have beautiful blue eyes.”
I laughed and said thank you very much. He began to tell me a few one liner jokes so I smiled and laughed at his jokes.
He tried to get up to leave again and looked at me and said“Your smile really brightens a room, do you know that?”I said,“Thank you very much.”
He proceeded to get up, which took him quite some time. As he got up he said,“Take care of that smile.”
I felt a sense of comfort wash over me and I reflected on my morning and that empty feeling I had. For a moment in time it seemed to be filled.Before the writer went to work, he felt________.
| A．sleepy | B．energetic | C．sick | D．unhappy |
From the text, we can infer the old man __________.
| A．was optimistic about life | B．liked to play a joke on others |
| C．was unwilling to leave | D．had difficulty in hearing |
By saying“since they are blue”, the old man meant“_____________”.
| A．because they feel cold | B．because they are sad |
| C．because they have blue eyes | D．because they are hungry |
What lesson can we learn from the story?
| A．We should find comfort from stranger. |
| B．We should pay attention to our own business. |
| C．We should laugh off our worries in life |
| D．We should show respect to the old people. |
Roger Alvarez, 22, was one of the 52 percent of students who didn’t make it through his senior year at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.
He dropped out several years ago, but by the time he was in ninth grade, Alvarez says he already knew he wasn’t going to graduate.
“There’s a certain amount of knowledge you have to have when you enter in a specific grade, and I didn’t have it.” Alvarez says,“Every class I used to go in, I was like, ‘Do I know this? I don’t know this.’”
It was a shameful attitude, he tells his former English teacher, Antero Garcia, 29.
“You were determined to help me, but what was I willing to give? I could have actually tried.”
For his part, Garcia wants to know how he could have reached out to Alvarez better, but Alvarez says Garcia had always been helpful.
“I mean, you could cheer me up, and then I see other students doing way better,” Alvarez says,“So then, I get nervous. I get stuck, and then my motivation goes to the floor.” He felt the situation was hopeless.
“You talked to me like if I could do it, but inside me, I knew I couldn’t.” he tells Garcia,“I just didn’t want you to think that I’m…stupid.”
Now, school is a life tool that Alvarez says he’s missing—but his teacher isn’t to blame.
“Always, I just wanted you to know…you were a good teacher, and I always respected you.” he tells Garcia,“Some teachers, I felt like they only wanted to teach a certain group of people. But you looked at me and you paid attention.”
“Maybe it didn’t get me to graduate, but there’re a lot of teachers, they don’t take the time to take a look. And it was never your fault.”
Alvarez now works the night shift at a loading dock(码头). He still hopes to get his degree one day.When Alvarez entered a grade, he was sure that ___________.
| A．he wasn’t going to pass the class |
| B．he would do better than other students |
| C．he might learn an amount of knowledge |
| D．he would try his best to learn at class |
By saying “my motivation goes to the floor”, Alvarez meant __________.
| A．he hid his goal from others | B．he lost heart gradually |
| C．he built up his motivation | D．he fell to the ground completely |
In the opinion of Alvarez, most teachers _______.
| A．paid no attention to teaching | B．had no time to read books |
| C．didn’t care about what he did | D．showed no respect to students |
The passage mainly tells us that _________.
| A．a dropout complains about being treated badly |
| B．a dropout plans to get his degree again |
| C．a dropout shows respect for not graduating |
| D．a dropout has thanks to his teacher not blame |
Nobody likes home economics (家政学). But restoring the program could help us in the fight against obesity and chronic (慢性的) diseases today.
The home economics movement was founded on the belief that housework and food preparation were important subjects that should be studied scientifically. The first classes occurred in the agricultural and technical colleges that were built in the 1860s. When most departments of universities rejected women, home economics was a back door into higher education.
Indeed, in the early 20th century, home economics was a serious subject When few people understood germ (微生物) theory and almost no one had heard of vitamins, home economics classes offered vital information about washing hands regularly, eating fruits and vegetables and not feeding coffee to babies.
However, today we remember only the fixed ideas about home economics, forgetting the movement’s most important lessons on healthy eating and cooking. Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook. Our diets, consisting of highly processed foods made cheaply outside the home, have contributed to many serious health problems. In the last decade, many cities and states have tried to tax junk food heavily or to ban the use of food stamps (食品券) to buy soda. Clearly, many people are doubtful about any governmental steps to promote healthy eating. But what if the government put the tools of obesity prevention in the hands of children themselves by teaching them how to cook?
My first experience with home economics happened two decades ago when I was a seventh grader in a North Carolina public school. A year later, my father’s job took our family to Wales, where I attended a large school for a few months. It was the first time I had ever really cooked anything. I remember that it was fun, and with an instructor standing by, it wasn’t hard. Those lessons stuck with me when I first started cooking for my husband and myself after college and they still do. Teaching cooking in public schools can help solve some problems facing Americans t day. The history of home economics shows it’s possible.
| A．is a subject becoming more and more popular with Americans |
| B．is often used to help fight against obesity and chronic diseases |
| C．once offered women a. special approach to university education |
| D．was first taught in the agricultural and technical colleges in the early 1900s |
| A．the importance of regular hand washing |
| B．the health benefits of fruits and vegetables |
| C．the contents of home economics classes in the early 20th century |
| D．the significance of teaching home economics in the early 20th century |
| A．Children should be taught how to cook. |
| B．A heavy tax should be put on junk food |
| C．Healthy eating should be promoted at school |
| D．Using food stamps to buy soda should be banned |
A. Her family moved frequently in her childhood.
R Cooking classes have a far-reaching influence on her later life.
C. To receive a better education, she went to a large school in Wales.
D. Teaching cooking is the key to solving Americans’ health problems.
Opryland Christmas
Join us in Nashville, Tennessee for a striking country Christmas that’s sure to create wonderful memories! You’ll enjoy four days of entertainment in this beautiful “Music City”.
Dates and Pricing
Nov.28---Dec.1/ Dec.3--6
Price Per Person
| Traditional Room |
Room with Garden Views |
|
| Double |
$1,097 |
$1,227 |
| Single |
$1,285 |
$1,405 |
Itinerary (旅行日程)
Day 1 --- Gaylord Opryland Resort: Welcome to Nashville! Settle in at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, then head out to enjoy its attractions, such as acres of indoor gardens, a waterfall, a recreation of a Delta River Town, Dozens of unique shops and ten restaurants.
Welcome reception included.
Day2 --- Showboat Cruise: Today we’ll board the General Jackson Showboat for a Cumberland River cruise, which includes a pleasant lunch, holiday music and comedy show. This afternoon we take in ICE!, Nashville’s life-sized ice-sculpting exhibit. The hand-carved ice sculptures reach over 25 feet high!
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day3 --- Hall of Tress/ Christmas Dinner Party: Choose from a variety of on-site activities today. Look through Treasures for the Holidays --- an art and antiques show, and visit the brilliant Hall of Trees display or relax at the 20,000-sp-foot Spa & Fitness Center.
Tonight you’re in for a real teat --- a special Christmas Dinner & Show. A traditional holiday meal in the joy of the season with traditional Christmas music, dance and song.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4 --- Farewell Brunch: Today say good-bye to your new friends with a good-bye brunch at the resort. Before you leave , finish up your Christmas shopping! 25 specialty shops are right here.
Meal included: brunch
Accommodations
Days 1---3 : Gaylord Opryland Resort, NashvilleIf a couple stay in a room with garden views, they have to pay ______.
| A．$2,454 | B．$2,194 | C．$1,285 | D．$1,405 |
When can the tourists enjoy an art and antiques show?
| A．On Day 1. | B．On Day 2. | C．On Day 3. | D．On Day 4. |
What do we know about the tour?
| A．it is a tour of adventure. | B．If offers three meals per day. |
| C．It lasts four days and four fights. | D．The accommodations won’t change. |