Meet the “Tutor Kings and Queens”
“If you want to be a top tutor, it definitely helps if you are young and attractive. Students look at your appearance，” said Kelly Mok, 26, a “tutor queen” at King's Glory, one of Hong Kong's largest tutorial establishments.
Richard Eng from Beacon College, a former secondary school teacher, is often credited with being the first of Hong Kong's “star tutors”. “In school all the teachers look the same, there's no excitement，” he said.
The celebrity tutor phenomenon is a result of the huge growth in outofschool tutoring in Asia. It is fuelled by highly pressured examination systems and ambitious parents wanting their children to secure places at top universities and highstatus secondary schools.
In societies where success is_equated_with good exam results, parental anxiety converts into a “steady stream of revenue(收入)” for tutoring establishments, according to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)．
The tutoring industry, or “shadow education” as the ADB calls it, has become very widespread in Asia, fed by the growth in universities and the rising proportion of school leavers aiming for university. Hong Kong University's professor Mark Bray, one of the authors of the ADB study, said a staggering 72% of finalyear school students in Hong Kong now go to private tutors.
It's not just Hong Kong. Tutoring has “spread and intensified(强化) in Asia and become more commercialized，” said Professor Bray. In South Korea, 90% of primary school children attend such classes. In China, New Oriental Education and Technology has grown to become one of the largest tutoring schools in Asia with around 2.4 million students this year. In South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, tutorial schools use star tutors to attract even more students.According to Kelly Mok, tutors ________.
| A．have a lot in common with school teachers |
| B．benefit much from their appearances |
| C．become more and more popular in the world |
| D．have much more pressure than in the past |
Who is probably a “tutor king” in Hong Kong?
| A．Kelly Mok. | B．Richard Eng. |
| C．Mark Bray. | D．Not mentioned. |
What Professor Bray says in this passage means that ________.
| A．the number of school leavers is increasing |
| B．tutoring may improve achievement for individual students |
| C．star tutors have attracted 2.4 million students |
| D．more and more students in Asia go to private tutors |
The underlined part in Paragraph 4 is similar in meaning to ________.
| A．is equal to | B．leads to |
| C．results in | D．is different from |
Where is this passage probably taken from?
| A．An English newspaper. | B．A travel guide. |
| C．A fashion magazine. | D．A physics book. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: "Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes." What should you do in learning English?
| A．Try to make some mistakes. | B．Avoid making any mistakes. |
| C．Remember as many new words as you can. | D．Use it as often as you cam |
If people laugh at the mistakes you make, you should ___________.
| A．be angry with them | B．be angry with yourself |
| C．not care | D．believe you are right |
When you make a mistake, you should___________.
| A．never make any mistakes again |
| B．tell others not to make the same mistake |
| C．punish yourself for making it |
| D．keep your sense of humor |
The story tell us:" ___________."
| A．It is normal (正常的) that we make some mistakes in learning English |
| B．Everyone must make mistakes |
| C．We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language |
| D．Laughing can help one learn English well |
How do you address(称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.
1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as “Excuse me”.
2. In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal(正式) for most situations. They are used mostly to customers(顾客) in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with older people whose names you don’t know.
3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms”, etc, before their family names.
4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.According to the passage, “Excuse me” is mainly used to ______.
| A．address a person you don’t know | B．apologize to others |
| C．catch the attention of a stranger | D．suggest good manners |
If John Smith is your best friend, according to the passage you should often call him ______.
| A．John | B．Smith | C．Mr. John | D．Mr. Smith |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．“Sir” and “Madam” are used more often in America than in England. |
| B．People often use “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Ms” before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well. |
| C．“Pal” and “mate” are usually only used between men. |
| D．While addressing friends, people just use their first names |
The passage is most likely taken from an English _______.
| A．textbook | B．card | C．storybook | D．grammar book |
Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure(奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four－hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation－in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two－day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.
It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was .
| A．to do business | B．to see her children |
| C．to visit places of interest | D．to see her old friends |
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?
| A．Disappointed. | B．Satisfied. | C．Worried. | D．Pleased. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?
| A．She is too old to drive now. |
| B．She does not like to take trains. |
| C．Although she is old，she has a good memory. |
| D．Her daughters live far away from her home. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Train ride－a cultural experience | B．A painful experience on the train |
| C．The history of Amtrak | D．A wonderful lady |
People who like travelling have their reasons. They believe that travelling can help them expand their field of view，especially in the geographical and historical sense. They also think that touring will give them more chances to enjoy different kinds of food and experience new things that would never be brought by other activities. But those who dislike travelling also have some reasons.
Travelling，in my opinion，does more good than harm. Most importantly，it broadens(使扩大)our mind. We can get in touch with other civilizations(文明)，cultures，customs and ideas.
Through history，most people travelled because of necessity(必要性)－not for pleasure. People travelled just in order to remain alive. They searched for food to eat or places to live in. They sometimes ran away from enemies. This is not to say that no one ever travelled just for fun of it. In ancient times，for example，rich Romans travelled all the ways to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games，and festivals. Of course，some people decided to travel just out of curiosity(好奇心).They wanted to find out what it looked like beyond the horizon(地平线).Also business travel has been going on for centuries. Traders could not only make money but also learn to speak several languages and be introduced to different cultures.
So，travelling does enrich our mind and draw new ideas to us. There is no doubt that we can get much from it.The underlined word “expand” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by“___________ ”.
| A．widen | B．protect | C．lose | D．decide |
According to the passage，in the past most people traveled____________.
| A．for fun | B．for knowledge | C．to get experiences | D．to make a living |
How many reasons for travelling are mentioned in Paragraph 3 ?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Different kinds of travelling. |
| B．Travelling enriches our mind. |
| C．Ways to enjoy yourself while travelling. |
| D．The advantages and disadvantages of travelling. |
I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard (果园)，looking up at the branches above me. It is one of the last days of summer. Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler. Some kinds of apples are already ripe(成熟的).Others will be ready to pick soon. I think of my grandmother’s apple pie，and how I used to make it with her. She died last year，before the apple harvest，and I have not had her pie since. I really miss her. I hear bees busily humming about，visiting the late summer flowers. The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.
The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes. Above me，big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the wind. School starts in another week，and time seems to have slowed down.
“Sophie！” calls my grandfather. “Is that you？”I stand up，take his hand，and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard. We talk about apples，and bees，and Grandma. He tells me that he misses her too.
He puts his rough，brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close. “You know，Sophie，”he says，“I spent the morning in the attic(阁楼)，and you’ll never guess what I found. It’s the recipe (烹饪法) for Grandma’s apple pie. I used to help her make it sometimes. I can’t do it all alone，but you used to help her too. Maybe between the two of us，we can work it out. Want to try？”
“But it won’t be the same without Grandma，” I tell him.
“That’s true，”he says，“but nothing is the same without Grandma. Still，I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie. What do you say？” I nod yes，and we walk towards home...towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen，making Grandma’s famous apple pie.We learn from the passage that Sophie .
| A．likes to watch clouds in the attic |
| B．comes to the orchard after school |
| C．enjoys Grandma’s apple pie very much |
| D．picks many apples in the orchard |
Sophie’s grandfather spent the morning in the attic.
| A．looking for Grandma’s recipe for apple pie |
| B．helping Sophie’s grandmother make apple pie |
| C．trying to make apple pie all alone for Sophie |
| D．talking about apples，and bees，and Grandma with Sophie |
The underlined part in the last paragraph shows.
| A．how much Sophie’s grandmother loved Sophie |
| B．how much Sophie’s grandfather likes apple pies |
| C．how much Sophie loves her grandfather’s orchard |
| D．how much Sophie’s grandfather misses Grandma |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．My grandfather’s orchard | B．My grandmother’s apple pie |
| C．A morning in the attic | D．The last days of summer |