Thousands of teenagers will be able to move to a new wave of “studio schools” at the age of 14 to improve their chances of finding a job in UK. Twelve new-style schools are open to act as a bridge to the workplace and cut the number of NEETs.
Under plans, schools will operate longer days and work outside standard school terms.
Each teenager will be expected to spend between four hours and two days a week on work placements with business related to the school and a personal coach will be sent to the teenagers to act as a school “line manager”.
The reforms (改革) are put forward because of the fears that too many teenagers are finishing full-time education at present but they are short of the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. According to a recent report, more than two thirds of employers (雇主) believe school and college leavers have less important employability skills, while 55% say they are unable to manage their time or daily routine. And the number of NEETs who are not in education has hit a record high, with almost one-in-five young people being left without a job or a training place.
The Department for Education will tell the public the building of 12 studio schools – providing for around 3,600 teenagers – in areas such as Liverpool, Stevenage, Stock-on-Trent and Fulham, west London. Each one will be connected to the local employers. Under plans, teenagers will be able to move out of ordinary schools to attend them between the ages of 14 and 19.
The government said all subjects would be taught “through projects, often prepared with employers” – with rules such as science being connected directly to local engineering companies or hospitals. Schools will operate a longer day to give teenagers a better understanding of the needs of the workplace. Along with their studies, students will carry out work placements for four hours a week, rising to two days a week of paid work for those aged 16 to 19. They will also get the chance to take professional qualifications (专业资历) connected directly to the needs of local employers.According to the passage, NEETs refer to those who ______.
A.often miss classes from studio school |
B.prefer studio schools to ordinary schools |
C.refuse to take any part-time job after school |
D.are not in education, employment or training |
Compared to ordinary schools, studio schools will offer the young more ______.
A.skills to finish full-time education |
B.personal coaches to help with the work |
C.chances to get future jobs with job training |
D.jobs to make money without going outside |
What makes the government decide to build studio schools?
A.The worry about educated teenagers short of working skills. |
B.The doubt about whether full-time education is perfect. |
C.The decision to solve the problems of unemployment. |
D.The increasing number of teens who drop out early. |
What can be the best title for the passage?
A.Studio schools are popular in UK at present. |
B.More NEETs will find jobs from Studio schools. |
C.Teenagers will get jobs without full-time education. |
D.Studio schools are built to improve teens’ employability skills. |
A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn’t built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.
Even so, travel isn’t difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go.People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.
Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.
Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.
Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) melt (融化).
Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.
Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.
根据短文内容,选择正确答案。Where is Venice?
A.In Italy. | B.In Canada. |
C.In England. | D.In America. |
Which is the most impossible way for people in Venice to get around ?
A.On foot. | B.By boat. |
C.By car. | D.By bike. |
Why is Venice still getting lower and lower?
A.Because too many people live there. |
B.Because the rising temperature has made the ice melt. |
C.Because lots of bridges have been built. |
D.Because the underground water is rising. |
What seasons are dangerous for Venice because of high waters?
A.Summer and autumn. | B.Autumn and winter. |
C.Summer and winter. | D.Spring and winter. |
The passage is mainly about .
A.the waterways of Venice | B.the history of Venice |
C.the scenery of Venice | D.the problem of Venice |
One day Peng Xianzhe learned he would go to the Mashan School in Guizhou. The 16-year-old boy tried to imagine how serious the drought was for the students at that school. However, he realized it was more serious than he had imagined when he saw the sign “DON’T wash clothes with water,or you will be punished(惩罚). ”
Because of drought, the school has been short of water for a long time. Each student has only one bottle of water every day for washing and drinking. The drought has made the poor students much poorer.
Peng is a student from Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School. He took part in the school’s Rain & Bow Project from April 2 to 10.
The project idea came from Peng’s principal(负责人). One day, she heard a sad story about Li Guoxian, a poor girl in the Mashan School,who stopped going to school because of drought. The principal started this project to help the school. In one day, 3,000 students made over 10,000 donations of water,books and clothes.
Peng and other four students went to the Mashan School and gave the donations with five teachers. They visited poor families, made surveys and had classes at the school.
Ding Zhentao,16,was worried about the school’s poor learning environment. “The blackboards and playground are too shabby to use,”Ding said. “Besides, there really aren’t enough teachers. A teacher has to teach both history and English, and even the cook is a class teacher. ”
Although life isn’t easy, students at the school have a positive attitude(积极的态度)towards life and they are quite willing to learn. That’s what moved 16-year-old Chen Shi most.
“They sang their songs together as usual before class every afternoon. After class, the students asked us to tell them things about Beijing and our studies,” Chen said. “You can see the passion(热情)in them. I believe it will make a difference. Their futures will be bright. ”
根据短文内容,选择正确答案。Which school does Peng Xianzhe study?
A.Mashan School. |
B.Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School. |
C.Project School. |
D.Training School. |
The underlined word“shabby”means in Chinese.
A.黑乎乎的 | B.光滑的 | C.破旧不堪的 | D.不平整 |
Who started the school’s Rain & Bow Project?
A.The principal of the foreign language school. |
B.Peng Xianzhe, a 16-year-old boy. |
C.Chen Shi, a student from Beijing. |
D.Li Guoxian, a poor girl in Guizhou. |
How many people went to the Mashan School and gave the donations?
A.Four. | B.Five. | C.Nine. | D.Ten. |
The passage mainly tells us about .
A.the poor learning environment of the Mashan School |
B.the things that Beijing students did, saw and heard at the Mashan School |
C.the Mashan School students’ positive attitude towards the drought |
D.a story of a poor girl who stopped going to school because of drought |
Do you obey the rules in your school? What do you think of your school rules? Are you allowed to dye (染) hair? A lot of school rules are similar around the world, but some are different. Some students may enjoy more freedom in some countries. But freedom doesn’t mean “no rules”. Every school has its own rules.
There are some rules in Japanese schools. The students are not allowed to dye their hair and are supposed to keep their hair black. They are not allowed to wear earrings either. Almost all schools used to require students to wear school uniforms but now half of the schools require uniforms. The students feel happy to wear all kinds of clothes. The students must get to school on time. If they are late, they cannot get into the school because the school gate is closed. In Japan, students are not allowed to have part-time jobs.
American schools have their own rules too. For example, at Morton High School, students are not allowed to choose their own clothes. They must get to school or leave school on time. Food, drinks or snacks shouldn’t be taken into the classroom. They must wear sports shoes in PE class. They are supposed to keep quiet on the school bus. In America, the students can have part-time jobs in their free time. (选自《课课练》九上) If you are a student in Japan, ____________.
A.you can wear earrings |
B.you must wear sports shoes every day |
C.you are allowed to have part-time jobs |
D.you can’t have your hair dyed |
Which school rules have changed in some Japanese schools?
A.About wearing earrings. |
B.About uniforms. |
C.About food and drinks. |
D.About part-time jobs. |
Which is the same rule in Japanese schools and at Morton High School?
A.The students can have part-time jobs. |
B.The students are allowed to wear their own clothes. |
C.The students must get to school on time. |
D.The students should keep their hair black. |
We can infer from Paragraph 3 that the students ____________.
A.must wear uniforms at Morton High School |
B.can’t dye their hair |
C.often makes noise on the school bus |
D.can’t make money in their free time |
Which of the following is true according to the article?
A.The students can eat things in class in America. |
B.Each school has its own rules. |
C.The school gate in Japan is open when the classes begin. |
D.School rules in America are completely (完全地) different from those in Japan. |
Do you know why different animals or pests(害虫) have their special colours? Colours in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves. Some birds like eating locusts(蝗虫),but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colours together with the change of the colours of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown colour as crops have. Some other pests with different colours from plants are easily found and eaten by their enemies (敌人). So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of colouring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be seen by hunters. This is because they have the colours much like the tree.
Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid(液体) when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over, the enemies cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it isn’t strong at all.From the passage we can learn that locusts ____________.
A.are small animals |
B.are easily found by birds |
C.are dangerous to their enemies |
D.change their colours to protect themselves |
How can pests with different colours from plants keep out of danger?
A.They run away quickly. |
B.Their colours are much like their enemies. |
C.They hide themselves in the day and appear at night. |
D.They have to move quietly. |
Bears and lions can keep safe because they ____________.
A.have the colours much like the trees |
B.move quickly |
C.like brown and grey colours |
D.live in forests |
The kind of fish can live up to now because ____________.
A.it is very big and strong |
B.the liquid it sends out can help it escape from its enemies |
C.the liquid it sends out can kill its enemies |
D.it swims faster than any other fish |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A.The Change of Colours for Animals and Pests |
B.Colours of Different Animals and Pests |
C.The Main Use of Colours for Animals and Pests |
D.Some Animals and Pests |
What problems do the teenagers probably have? Here is a survey showing their main problems.
Problems |
Causes |
Advice |
Feeling stressed |
Too much homework. Don’t have enough time for their hobbies. |
Make a plan for study and hobbies. Find time to relax as possible as you can. |
Getting short-sighted |
Too much homework. Bad reading and writing habits. |
Do homework or reading in a correct way. |
Fights |
Don’t know how to get on well with classmates. |
Make more friends and understand each other. Share your problems with them. |
Feeling tired of study |
Computer games’ bad influence. |
Don’t be crazy about computer games. Play them just for a short time when you are tired. |
Getting fat |
Having more pocket money to buy snacks. Dislike doing exercise. |
Use your pocket money to do something meaningful. Spend some time doing exercise every day. |
How many main problems are there in the survey?
A.Four. | B.Five. | C.Six. | D.Seven. |
What problems are caused by too much homework?
A.Feeling stressed and fight. |
B.Feeling tired of study and getting fat. |
C.Feeling stressed and getting short-sighted. |
D.Getting short-sighted and feeling tired of study. |
If Simon is feeling stressed, he should _____________.
A.do much more homework |
B.make a plan for study and hobbies |
C.buy some snacks |
D.donate his pocket money to Project Hope |
Peter is tired of study, maybe because he _____________.
A.has no close friends |
B.has no pocket money |
C.gets fatter and fatter |
D.plays too many computer games |
_____________ is a good way for the teenagers to stop fights.
A.Learning how to make friends |
B.Playing computer games |
C.Doing less homework |
D.Paying no attention to each other |