After students come home from a tiring day at school, they tend to worry a lot about their homework.
Whether students are working on English or chemistry homework, they are simply working on the assignment in order to get it done, attempting to memorize the concepts for the time being and do not absorb any of the information afterward. Students are wasting their time on insignificant assignments rather than effectively using that time to achieve other accomplishments. According to www.dailymail.com, many parents are concerned that homework is being assigned rather than being used to integrate what teachers are covering in the classroom. In their eyes, if less homework is assigned, students would have much less stress and could focus more on their passions and hobbies.
Homework gets in the way of participating in community service events as well as opportunities for getting a job or being a part of an extra-curricular activity. These responsibilities are important for teenagers to take on because they prepare the teenagers for the "real world." Without the proper exposure to work that is not school related, students will find themselves lost after they graduate. If homework were no longer given, students would have a lot more time to mature in other fields rather than being educated only on academics.
In spite of the fact that teachers want students to do better on tests and absorb the material that they are teaching, homework is not accomplishing its purpose. Because school is becoming increasingly more competitive and challenging, homework is becoming a setback rather than extra practice. Its removal would benefit the well being of teenagers as well as encourage them to get out in the "real world" and discover themselves instead of staring at a pile of assignments.Students are wasting their time on insignificant homework because___________.
| A．they are working on it carelessly and hurriedly |
| B．they attempt to get only part of the information memorized |
| C．they spend too much time doing it without understanding |
| D．they fail to take in the information after finishing it |
From the third paragraph, we can infer that homework might ___________.
| A．guarantee students more job opportunities |
| B．make students lose the sense of responsibilities |
| C．weaken students' social adaptation ability |
| D．cause students to feel lost after graduation |
The author insists that homework should be ___________.
| A．made simpler and easier |
| B．got rid of |
| C．connected with social activities |
| D．switched over to subject competitions |
“I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can't there be 25 hours in a day？” complained Liu Ran in Hong Kong as midterm exams were going on.
The 18yearold was Shandong Province's top scorer in this year's college entrance examination. After graduating from Tai'an No.1 High School，she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong (香港中文大学)，although both Peking University and Tsinghua University promised her a place.
“I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I'm majoring in journalism，so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons，” Liu said.
It is two months since Liu first set foot on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning，because of the food and language problems.
“The canteen offers mostly western or Guangdong food，but it's convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English，” Liu explained.
Her English and Cantonese are now both improving，but she still needs more time to adapt to the new environment.
“I'm happy that I made the right decision to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western cultures，there is so much to discover and learn，” she said.
Liu has 18 credit hours(学分)of classes every week and 23 noncredit hours every other week. She has signed up for four associations including the Chinese Language Debating Team and the drama club. Essays，book reports and presentations also take plenty of time to prepare. And，of course，there are various parties to attend.
“I wasn't a party animal before，but that may be interesting part of college. I sense myself changing，” Liu said.Liu Ran chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong，because________.
| A．she couldn't be admitted to Peking University |
| B．Hong Kong is a good place to learn Eastern cultures |
| C．she wants to be far from her homeland |
| D．Hong Kong can widen her horizons |
According to the passage，we can infer________.
| A．Liu Ran still doesn't like attending parties |
| B．Liu Ran hates the busy life in the Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| C．Liu Ran likes the food of Hong Kong |
| D．the full life makes Liu Ran feel good |
Liu Ran had to overcome the difficulties in many aspects EXCEPT________.
| A．food |
| B．language |
| C．missing home |
| D．no friends |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
An online post listing office people's four most hated modern inventions is gaining popularity. Read on to discover what modern professionals dislike.
Number one：The punch(打卡) machine.
32yearold Mr. Zhang works for an IT company. He lists the punch machine as his number one workday enemy after a number of unavoidable incidents made him late to punch in for work. Zhang says most of his colleagues are hardworking people，but they feel like the boss doesn't trust them when he uses a machine to evaluate their performance. Zhang plans to find another job at a company that does not use a punch machine.
Number two：Instant noodles.
More and more people today realize that instant noodles do not make a healthy meal，but lack of time forces many whitecollar workers to eat them instead of a regular dinner.27yearold Mr. Zhu is a salesperson who is so busy at work that he doesn't even have time to wash his socks. He regularly eats fast food takeaways or instant noodles for dinner.
Number three：Mattresses.
Some elder employees tell newcomers that having a mattress at work is just like having a home at the company. To encourage their employees to work overtime，a number of companies have issued their employees with mattresses so that they can take a rest under their desks at any time of a day. People have started refusing the mattress and taking better care of their health after the media reported on a number of people who died due to overwork last year.
And last，but not least，the mobile phone.
A surgeon from a Beijing hospital says more and more whitecollar workers are turning up with a strange disease which they call “mobile phone elbow”．The patients' elbows are painful，and sometimes they can't even raise their hands. The doctor says the disease occurs when patients spend more than 4 hours on their mobiles.Why do some employees want to find a job in a company without punch machines?
| A．They often meet with unavoidable incidents on their way to work. |
| B．They feel less trusted when evaluated with the punch machine. |
| C．It is unnecessary for them to punch in for work every day. |
| D．They can work less hard in companies without punch machines. |
Whitecollar workers have to eat instant noodles because they ________.
| A．can't make a healthy meal |
| B．can't afford a regular dinner |
| C．don't have time to wash their socks |
| D．are always so busy at work |
In the eyes of the boss，the mattresses can ________.
| A．make employees work more time |
| B．make the new comers love the company |
| C．make employees have a good rest at any time |
| D．take care of the employees' health |
According to the doctor，________.
| A．the painful elbow caused by mobile phone can't be cured |
| B．only whitecollar workers turn up with the painful elbow |
| C．long time of using mobile phones possibly causes the painful elbow |
| D．if your elbows are painful，or you can't raise your hands，you catch the disease |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Most hated modern inventions |
| B．Modern inventions are gaining popularity online |
| C．Modern inventions bring us inconvenience |
| D．Modern inventions and overwork |
Dirty language，curse(诅咒) words，swearing. These are all ways of describing words people consider socially unacceptable. But such words are commonly said after a painful injury. So，do they serve a purpose in reducing physical pain？That is what researchers in Britain set out to discover.
Psychologist Richard Stephens wondered if using curse words truly helped people reduce physical pain. To test the theory，he asked more than 60 college students to take part in an experiment.
The students were asked to write down five words they might say after injuring their finger. One of the words was chosen as their swear word. The students were also asked to choose five words they might use to describe another object：a table. These words were their control words.
The students were then asked to hold their hand in freezing water for as long as they could. While holding their hand underwater，they were asked to repeat a swear word. Then they repeated the experiment using their control word instead.
The researchers found a link between swearing and an increased ability to deal with pain. When students repeated a swear word，they were able to hold their hand longer in the cold water. They said they experienced less pain when using swear words.
The experiment showed that swearing caused people's heart rate to increase，which permits the body to experience or ignore pain better. It also found interesting differences between men and women. The heart rate of both men and women increased. Yet swearing had a greater effect on women.
It is unclear to scientists exactly how swearing affects physical reactions to pain. Professor Stephens believes that swearing activates a different part of the brain than normal language. He says more experiments on different kinds of pain are needed to better understand the effect of swearing.
The researchers note that swear words have existed for hundreds of years. Their findings offer one reason why the custom of cursing may have continued for so long. Swear words are said with emotion. For that reason，the more someone swears，the less of an effect the words have.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Using Curse Words Can Reduce Physical Pain |
| B．People Consider Curse Words Socially Unacceptable |
| C．Dirty Language Is Commonly Said After a Painful Injury |
| D．Curse Words Are Spoken by Inexperienced Psychologists |
How did Richard Stephens carry out the experiment?
| A．With a questionnaire. |
| B．Through some examples. |
| C．By comparison. |
| D．With the help of the Internet. |
How many experiments should each college student take part in at least?
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
What does the underlined word “activates” mean?
| A．Makes something active. |
| B．Changes something totally. |
| C．Stops something from happening. |
| D．Discovers something new. |
Which of the following is one of the findings from the experiment?
| A．Women use more swearing words than men. |
| B．The more someone swears the greater effect the words have. |
| C．Men's heart beats faster than women's when using dirty language. |
| D．Using swearing words helps women deal with pain better than men. |
“Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe led groups of excited kids dressed in Hogwarts uniforms as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park officially opened on Friday to long lines and disordered traffic.
Radcliffe，Rupert Grint who plays the boy wizard's best friend Ron Weasley，and other actors from the blockbuster movie，were on hand at Universal Orlando Resort as fans lined up more than eight hours to be among the first visitors.
Before dawn，the backup of Potter fans began to block the main highway through Orlando near the entrances to Universal，forcing the theme park to open its parking garage at 5 am－30 minutes earlier than planned，according to local media.
Visitors said that by 8∶30 am the line to get inside wrapped around the outside of Universal's Islands of Adventure park，of which the Wizarding World is one of six unique sections. And the wait for the Forbidden Journey reached at least 90 minutes at one point.
“It was worth it，just because I'm a Harry Potter fan，”said Kelsey Rigg,18，a British transplant(移居者) to Florida who at 3 am joined a crowd of several hundred people.
Universal Orlando managers did not immediately have information about crowd size.
The 20acre Harry Potter park reportedly cost $250 million to build and recreates the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and other places dreamed up by author J．K. Rowling in her fantasy novels about the boy wizard and his friends.
Attractions include the Dragon Challenge，a highspeed ride based on the Triwizard Tournament，a fictional 13th century contest between students of the three bestknown magical schools of Europe and Flight of the Hippogriff，a roller coaster based on Rowling's magical creature with the head，wings and front legs of a giant eagle and the body，hind legs and tail of a horse.What is the possible reason for the fans going there so early?
| A．To see the new film of Harry Potter in the Hogwarts uniform. |
| B．To block traffic together with the other actors in the movie. |
| C．To be the first visitors of the Harry Potter theme park. |
| D．To host the opening of the Harry Potter theme park. |
Why was the parking garage forced to open ahead of planned time?
| A．Because all the fans came by car. |
| B．Because the main highway was blocked. |
| C．Because there were too many fans lining up outside of the park. |
| D．Because the parking garage was broken through by fans. |
According to the passage，the Harry Potter theme park ________.
| A．was designed by author J．K. Rowling |
| B．was built by Harry Potter crazy fans |
| C．lies in Universal Orlando Resort in Florida |
| D．is managed by Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint |
What can we learn from Kelsey Rigg's words and action?
| A．Harry Potter fans are crazy about the theme park. |
| B．More Harry Potter fans will transplant to Florida. |
| C．Only several hundred Harry Potter fans come to visit the park. |
| D．Only those who transplanted to Florida earlier have the chance to visit the park. |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure park covers 20 acres |
| B．some of the visitors to the theme park waited about eight hours |
| C．Universal Orlando didn't mind the number of visitors on the first day |
| D．all of the attractions were imagined and designed by some actors and architects |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Long ago in a small town，there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived，he bounced(跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise，he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile，and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house，he thought to himself，“This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often.”
In this same town，another little dog，who was not quite as happy as the first one，decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him，he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left，he thought to himself，“This is a horrible place，and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the people you meet?
【选项】 Why was the first dog surprised When he entered the house?
| A．Because he didn't expect to see so many happy dogs. |
| B．Because he didn't know there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| C．Because he was always in a mixed mood. |
| D．Because he saw so many dogs smiling at him. |
Why did the first dog like the house?
| A．Because there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| B．Because he thought he could keep himself warm in the house. |
| C．Because he liked the mirrors. |
| D．Because he felt he was welcome here. |
The underlined word “growled” probably means________.
| A．made an unfriendly noise |
| B．smiled |
| C．said hello |
| D．stared |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．A Happy Little Dog |
| B．The House of 1,000 Mirrors |
| C．The Wonderful Place and the Horrible Place |
| D．Two Little Dogs |