Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.
The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.
As a result, the student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit (押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.
Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be granted a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.
"This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas," says Wang Lan, a consultant from Education International Cooperation Group (EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.
However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients (客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were tough. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.
A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.
"According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan ($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents," Li says.
She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.
"I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China," she says.
Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Australia widens window of opportunity for international students. |
| B．Australia is a most attractive place for students in China. |
| C．Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia. |
| D．More students will work in Australia after their graduation. |
Which of the following is NOT the content of the new regulations?
| A．The student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified. |
| B．Language requirements for overseas students have been more difficult. |
| C．The deposit required to study in Australia has been reduced. |
| D．After graduation, some overseas students can get a working visa in Australia. |
After the new regulations are passed, _______.
| A．more students will come to Australia to work |
| B．more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia. |
| C．more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia |
| D．the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students |
How much can Li's parents save according to the new regulations?
| A．550,000 yuan | B．86,850 yuan |
| C．410,000 yuan | D．140,000 yuan |
Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?
| A．They can earn more money in Australia. |
| B．The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness. |
| C．Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever. |
| D．They have to do so according to the new regulations. |
It is easy for some people to learn a second language．However, others have difficulty in learning a new language．What can you do to help yourself learn a second language, such as English？
1.Feel positive about learning English．_Be patient．You do not have to understand everything all at once．It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new．We can learn from our mistakes．In other words, do not worry about making mistakes.
2.Practice your English．For example, write a diary every day．You will form a habit of writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English．In addition, you must speak English every day．You can practice with your classmates outside class.
3.You can write this in your journal．After each class, think about what you did．Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it．It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements．
| A．Go over the points you have learned. |
| B．Keep a record of your language learning. |
| C．Don’t give up when you meet some difficulty. |
| D．If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. |
E．Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving.
F．In these ways, you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.
G．There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The most important day Helen Keller remembered in all her life was the one on which her teacher, Anne Sullivan, came to her．It was three months before she was seven years old．
On the afternoon of that day, Helen knew that something was happening．She went outside and waited at the door of the house．She could feel the sun on her face and she could touch the leaves of the plants．Then she felt someone walking towards her．She thought it was her mother and she went to her and held her close．This was the teacher who had come to teach all things to her and, above all, to love her．
The next morning, the teacher took her into her room and gave her a doll．When Helen was playing with it, Miss．Sullivan slowly spelled the word “d－o－l－l” onto her hand．Helen learnt a lot of words like this．After the teacher had been with her for several weeks, Helen understood that everything had a name．
One day Helen didn’t understand the difference between “mug” and “water”．She became angry and threw the doll on the floor．In her quiet, dark world she didn’t feel sorry for doing it．Then her teacher took her out into the warm sunshine．They walked down to the well where someone was drawing water．Her teacher put her hand under the water and spelled the word “w－a－t－e－r” at the same time in her other hand．Suddenly, Helen felt an understanding．She knew then that “w－a－t－e－r” was the wonderful cool something flowing over her hand．That living word awakened her spirit, gave it light, hope, fun and set it free!How was the girl different from other children？
| A．She didn’t know how to play games． |
| B．She was angry all the time． |
| C．She couldn’t speak． |
| D．She was deaf and blind． |
Helen learnt new words when ______．
| A．she went to the well |
| B．Miss．Sullivan spelled them on her hand |
| C．the teacher gave her a doll |
| D．she knew the difference between two words |
What can the reader learn from the passage？
| A．How to spell different words and understand their meanings． |
| B．The way to feel sorry for doing something wrong． |
| C．The idea of how to describe things and make them feel real． |
| D．When someone is drawing water, we should go to feel it． |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old．We lived about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界)．My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides．We drove down a nice long road．My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up．I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
When we arrived, there were not monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found．I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun．When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks．However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember．It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family．I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time．Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again．He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this．I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?
| A．In Canada |
| B．In the central US |
| C．Near the Canadian border |
| D．In Parc Safari |
During the trip, the author ________.
| A．saw a monkey |
| B．fed some monkeys |
| C．was angry with the giraffes |
| D．had been in close contact with the camels |
What does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．uncomfortable |
| B．excited |
| C．tired |
| D．surprised |
What does the author intend to do?
| A．To have a holiday abroad with his parents. |
| B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo. |
| C．To revisit the place he went to at seven. |
| D．To have a family trip in his own country. |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school．It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well．To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are．Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year．And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins．Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school．This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports．Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school．If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc．These clubs allow students from different grades．By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申请)．The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.
| A．unhappy |
| B．nervous |
| C．lonely |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans. |
| C．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
| D．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．By the end of the last year in the middle school. |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To describe high school life． |
| B．To give advice to new high school students． |
| C．To teach useful experience． |
| D．To introduce new schools. |
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok．This is our first trip to Thailand(泰国)．All the different smells make us want to try the food．We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight．The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean．We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting．We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables．Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai．We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring．We visited a small village in the mountains．The village people here love the quiet life--no computers or phones．They are the kindest people I have ever met．They always smile and say “hello”．Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness．I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.The diaries above show the writer’s _____ days in Thailand.
| A．3 |
| B．7 |
| C．15 |
| D．30 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand. |
| B．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand. |
| C．Chiang Rai is a boring city in the mountains. |
| D．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus. |
The people in the village _____.
| A．are friendly to others |
| B．like to speak English |
| C．are very weak |
| D．hope to live in the cities |
What is the best title for the whole diary?
| A．My First Travel |
| B．The Outside World |
| C．Traveling in Thailand |
| D．A Country on the Train |