Inthepasttenyears,America’sNat-优题课

“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.
“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson said.
Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she understood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”
This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.
Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.
“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.
Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.
“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”
What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.

B．To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.

C．To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes.

D．To analyse the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far.

According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.

A．schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence.

B．children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now.

C．those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school.

D．children are learning more about guns from educational issues.

Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?

A．Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago.

B．The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools.

C．Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves.

D．Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie.

What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．A kind of costume.	B．A real gun.
C．A toy weapon.	D．A kind of plastic.

Play is the basic business of childhood, and in recent years research has shown the great importance of play in the development of a human being. From earliest infancy (婴儿), every child needs opportunity and right materials for play, and the main tools of play are toys. The main function of toys is to suggest, encourage and play. To succeed in this, they must be good toys, which children will play with often, and will come back again and again. Therefore, it is important to choose suitable toys for different stages of a child’s development.
In recent years research on infant development has shown that the standard a child is likely to reach, within the range of his inherited abilities, is largely determined in the first three years of his life. So a baby’s ability to benefit from the right play materials should not be underestimated. A baby who is encouraged, talked to and shown things and played with, has the best chance of growing up successfully.
In the next stage, from three to five years old, curiosity knows no bounds. Every type of suitable toys should be made available to the child, for trying out, experimenting and learning, for discovering his own particular ability: Bricks and jigsaws and construction toys; painting, scribbling and making things; sand and water play; toys for imaginative and pretending play—the first social games for learning to play and get on with others.
But at the third stage of play development—from five to seven or eight years old— the child is at school. But for a few more years play is still the best way of learning, at home or at school. It is easier to see which type of toys the child most enjoys.
Until the age of seven or eight, play and work mean much the same to a child. But once reading has been mastered, then books become the main source of learning. Toys are still interesting and valuable, which lead up to new hobbies, but their significance has changed to a child of nine or ten years old, toys and games mean, as to adults, relaxation and fun.
According to the first passage we know that as a child grows up ______.

A．he should be allowed to choose his own toys.

B．he should be given the same toys.

C．he should be given fewer and fewer toys.

D．he should be given different toys.

According to the passage, the abilities a child has inherited from his parents ______.

A．determine his character

B．will not change after the age of three.

C．partly determined the standard he is likely to reach

D．to a large extent determine the choice of toys

We learn from the passage that a child has boundless curiosity ______.

A．when he is two	B．when he is around four
C．when he is six	D．when he is eight

The passage is mainly about _______.

A．the role of play in a child’s development

B．the importance of schooling

C．the importance of pre-school education

D．the choice of toys for youngster

Unfortunately, concerned about instability in the job market, many students are worried about facing an ever more uncertain future and consequently they have begun to feel lost, according to a survey. The survey, conducted by the Social Survey Institute of China, covers more than 2,000 college students from big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.
Tapping into (利用) this vast network of students, the survey revealed about 75 percent enjoy their lives on campus, feel free from restraints (限制) and are filled with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, 16.7 percent “lost ones” of the students refer to life as boring and aimless while 8.3 percent complain about the heavier study load they must now bear. Undoubtedly, pressure exists, and 75 percent of the students are worried about finding a job upon graduation. Around half of all participants have no clear career plan after graduation and a high 41.7 percent admit they have not thought about it. Only 8.3 percent have a clear idea of what they want to do and are confident of achieving their hopes and dreams.
The question “Are you a popular guy” seemed to provoke a mixed response from participants with 58.3 percent answering positively, leaving 41.7 percent as unsure, 91.7 percent of the students thought they got along very well with others, the final 8.3 percent finding it difficult to choose a particular answer. Independent answers such as “do things in your own way” and “forget other people’s opinions” seemed to be popular among modern college students with 75 percent conforming more or less to this attitude. 25 percent alone admitted to worrying about comments from other people.
The survey also discovered a strong feeling of confidence among students when dealing with interpersonal relationships and that personalities were slightly influenced by the surrounding environment. Most students criticized the phenomenon of suicide on campus. 58.3 percent urged authorities to discover hidden social reasons behind suicide, thus helping to prevent it. 33.3 percent thought students who try to commit suicide will not be able to face life’s bigger challenges in the future even if they survive. Surprisingly, 8.3 percent confessed that they once wanted to kill themselves, but finally decided against it.
What is college life like in the eyes of most students according to the passage?

A．Easy

B．Interesting

C．Stressed

D．Aimless

How many students refer to life as boring in the survey?
A. More than 334 B. More than 166 C More than 1,500 D. More than 625.
The underlined phrased “provoke a mixed response” (in Paragraph 4) probably means “ ”.

A．answer in a mixed way	B．give a variety of answers
C．have sympathy for other students	D．suddenly begin to affect someone

Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．What should college life be like?	B．Lost students in China
C．Do things in your own way.	D．Frustrated college life

John Blanchard was studying the crowd making their way through the station. He was looking for the girl with a rose whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t.
When reading a book in a Florida library a year before, John became interested not in the contents of the book, but in the notes penciled in the margin. The handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and beautiful mind. He discovered the former owner's name in the front of the book: Miss Hollis Maynell.
He located her address and wrote a letter introducing himself. The next day he was shipped overseas to serve in the army. During the next year, they grew to know each other through the mail and their friendship developed. John requested a photograph, but she refused, saying if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return home, their first meeting was suggested — 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Central Station in New York.
She wrote, “You’ll recognize me by the red rose I wear on my coat.” So now John was in the station to meet the girl with a rose.
As a pretty and slim girl in green came over, John noticed her blue eyes like flowers in spring. He walked directly towards her, entirely forgetting she was not wearing a rose. As John came closer to her, he saw another woman with a red rose stood nearby. Well past 40, this woman had graying hair done under a worn hat. Seeing the girl in green walk quickly away, John felt as if he were split in two. He desired to follow that girl, but longed for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and supported him.
The woman looked gentle and sensible. John went to her, saying, “I’m Captain John Blanchard. You must be Miss Maynell. I am glad to meet you here. May I take you to dinner?”
She replied with a smile, “I don’t know what this is about. But the lady in green who just went by, begged me to wear this rose on my coat. She said if you asked me out to dinner, I’d tell you she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
John was eager to know the former owner of the book because he______.

A．was very interested in the contents of the book

B．was impressed by the notes written by its owner

C．wanted to improve his handwriting

D．wanted to discuss the book with her

What happened to John after getting in touch with Miss Hollis Maynell?

A．He served in the army abroad.

B．He went overseas for vacation.

C．He went on a business trip in New York.

D．He visited Miss Maynell.

What do we know about the woman with a rose?

A．She was Miss Maynell’s close friend.

B．She was a waitress in the big restaurant.

C．She was probably a passerby.

D．She was paid to meet John at the Station.

Which would be the best title of the text?

A．An Interesting Book	B．A Woman With a Rose
C．A Brave Soldier	D．A Love Test

Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that perfect portable bike would be “like a magic carpet... You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag". Then he paused: “But you'll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel."
It was a rare --- indeed unique --- occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame(框架) that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout's Wonderful Bag, a leather case.
Grout's aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn't that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout's day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn't do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated tyre.
So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons , has developed a wheel that can be squashed(挤压)into something like a slender ellipse(椭圆 ) . Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.
Will the young Fitzsimons's folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there's plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked down so small that can be carried on a plane -- minus wheels, of course --as hand baggage.
Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie's imagination? No. But it's progress.
57. We can infer form Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike____.
A. was portable B. had a folding wheel.
C. could be put in a pocket. D. looked like a magic carpet
58. We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Group Portable_______.
A. were difficult to separate. B. could be split into 6 pieces.
C. were fitted with solid tyres. D. were hard to carry on a train.
59. We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons`s invention_______.
A. kept the tyres as whole piece. B. was made into production soon.
C. left little room for improvement. D. changed our views on bag design.
60. Which of following would be best title for the text?
A. Three folding bike inventors. B. The making of a folding bike
C. Progress in folding bike design D. Ways of separating a bike wheel