The English test will be removed from China’s college entrance exam by 2020, according to the Ministry of Education. The national college entrance exam, known as the “Gaokao” has been used to evaluate Chinese students for three decades. The Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for reforming exams and enrollment. Tests will be held several times a year to allow students to choose when and how often they sit the exam so as to reduce study pressure and change China’s once-in-a-lifetime exam system.
The decision has aroused a heated discussion among Shanghai educators and parents who doubted whether the reform would reduce the burden of learning English or if the substitute test could reflect a student’s English skills and help students learn English better.
“As far as I see, the reform doesn’t mean English is no longer important for Chinese students after it is excluded from the unified college entrance exam,” Yu said. “In a way, English is even more important than before since the test would only serve as reference, while every college and university, even every major, can have different requirements of a student’s English skills under a diverse evaluation system.”
Yu said some students will have their study pressure reduced if the major they choose doesn’t need excellent English while others still need to study hard if they want to be among the best students.
The education ministry said the reform would not affect students attending the college entrance exam over the next three years.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．English will become less and less important in the stage of compulsory education. |
| B．It has been 30 years since English became one subject of national college entrance exam. |
| C．China’s once-in-a-lifetime exam system is unacceptable at all. |
| D．The system that tests are held several times does more good than once-in-a-lifetime exam system. |
According to the passage, Shanghai educators and parents argue that _____.
| A．the new exam and admission system will make no difference |
| B．English shouldn’t be removed from China’s college entrance exam |
| C．the reform may accomplish the very opposite |
| D．Western educational system does not apply to China |
What does the passage try to express in the underlined sentence?
| A．Students needn’t lay a good foundation during the period of high school. |
| B．Whether students should study English hard may depend on their major. |
| C．Students can constantly strive for perfection only in their major. |
| D．English must be close to full mark. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To advise students not to devote themselves to English. |
| B．To call on Education Department to remove English from “Gaokao”. |
| C．To support the act of Ministry of Education. |
| D．To encourage students to do as they have planned. |
With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7．5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from Indian CEOs．The key differences between Indian and Western bosses are:
Social purpose
One of the most important things is that Indian leaders lead with a sense of social purpose．Every leader in India gave a specific social purpose as being the goal of their business．Those purposes ranged from improving healthcare to getting cell phones to people who didn't have access to communication tools．Having a social purpose motivates workers．
Invest in employees
Indian firms invest an enormous amount in their employees' training and development．IT firms typically offer 60 days of formal training for newly hired workers and they even spend months training experienced workers．A study said that Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees, seeing it as a waste if they quit．But Indian bosses believe that investing in employees ensures the quality of those who stay at the company．
Take the long view
Indian bosses stress far less on shareholders than it is typical at Western business．As a result they're more able to take a long-term view．Western companies can't just ignore their shareholders, but their CEOs can do more to protect their -employees from short-term financial pressures, letting them get on with their jobs．
Work fromtheir strengths
Western companies often think about strategy in terms of chasing customers or pursuing market opportunities, but Indian firms will more often start by identifying their strengths and customers’ needs, and then try to meet those needs．
Act as a role model
Being a personal role model for their employees is an amazing thing for a CEO．If Western bosses could think of themselves as role models, it would have a real impact on their workers．Indian CEOs use their sense of social purpose to _________．
| A．improve the workers' healthcare system |
| B．provide cell phones to people in need |
| C．motivate and encourage their employees |
| D．promote the development of communication systems |
Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees’ training and development because _______．
| A．it takes too long to complete the formal training of newly hired workers |
| B．they often hire experienced workers who don't need much training |
| C．they are afraid of the losses brought about by the resignation of employees |
| D．they don't care about the quality of the employees in their firms |
Which of the following is TRUE about Western bosses?
| A．They stress on workers more than shareholders． |
| B．They always act as role models for employees． |
| C．They are good at identifying their own strengths． |
| D．They pay closer attention to market opportunities． |
It takes courage to stand up at work．Now more and more people are standing up when they are working on something important．Standing up is in fashion．Medical researchers have found that people who stand at work tend to be much healthier than those who sit．But I wasn't just looking for better health — standing would also improve how I work and relax my body．
In recent years, many office supply companies have begun to sell adjustable desks．These so-called "sit / stand" models are equipped with an electric motor that lets them shift from chair height to person height at the push of a button．Unfortunately, sit / stand desks tend to be expensive, hard to find and not very easy to test in person．
I discovered that when I worked standing up, my mind was clearer and new ideas kept coming to me．I suspect that this is because when you're standing, you feel a bit unchained from your desk．If I got stuck on a word or sentence as I wrote it, I found myself shaking my arms, bouncing （跳） on my feet or stepping away from the desk for a bit — things I couldn't do in a chair．Often, standing up seemed to relax my mind enough for me to get over creative barriers．
There's another thing about standing for a long time: I tend to get hungrier than I do when I sit on a chair．That feels like confirmation（证实） of the stand-up advocates’ belief that you burn more calories when you stand than when you sit．For this reason alone, I' m hoping that one day mass-market furniture companies can make many low-priced versions of sit / stand desks．We could all work with a bit more standing up．The author likes standing up while working because __________．
| A．he wants to show that he has a lot of courage |
| B．researchers say standing makes one healthier |
| C．he intends to catch up the fashion trend |
| D．he hopes to improve his work and relax himself |
It can be inferred from the text that ________．
| A．adjustable desks are mass-produced now |
| B．adjustable desks are easy to operate |
| C．cheaper adjustable desks will soon be available |
| D．adjustable desks can be tried out easily |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Standing up at work is a better choice． |
| B．Standing up at work takes courage． |
| C．Standing up at work burns more calories． |
| D．Standing up at work will replace traditional sitting． |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators （audiences） in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches（缝线） in my son’s head．I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class．As if to read my mind, a teacher said．“Don’t worry．They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open．A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves．Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying．They’ll be adults．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak．I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle．There was nothing I could do about it．My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing．
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments．My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life．I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted（萦绕心头） by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale．Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home．Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where were you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered．I was worried．”
I smiled a warm smile．The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______．
| A．parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
| B．there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
| C．it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
| D．there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．” that ______．
| A．her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
| B．her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
| C．her mother thought the nurse was lying |
| D．her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______．
| A．the hard times she experiences in her life |
| B．the different stages of her children |
| C．the support she received from her mother |
| D．she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
| A．The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
| B．Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
| C．At last the mother could live her own life without worry． |
| D．The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults． |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A．Life | B．Parents | C．Worry | D．Children |
The cars were honking （鸣叫） on the road one morning as I was walking to the park．I walked on and soon found the cause — a little taxi that had got stuck in the middle of the road．There was sweat on the driver's face as he tried to start the engine again and again — nothing happened．"No petrol,"
I said to myself and then found myself getting angry．"Why doesn't the fool move his taxi to the side?" I thought, so did all the others who honked and shouted．
He got up tiredly, and the passenger in the taxi got out．He was a young man in a white shirt, who watched the driver try to push it to the side．"Stupid guy!" I said．"Can't he lend a helping hand? "
I watched as the poor driver pushed it to the side．Cars, buses and trucks went past cursing （咒骂） the poor man．The young man took another taxi and went off．
The taxi driver began mending his taxi．"Stupid passenger!" I said to him．"He didn't help you!" The taxi driver slowly got up．"Sir!" he asked, "Did you?" I looked at him guiltily, then looked away, and walked away fast, asking myself, "Did I help the poor man push his taxi?"
What had I been doing as the traffic jam took place? How had I helped deal with the problem? Did I help the poor man push his taxi? I’d done my bit, with my mouth．But never had I moved to solve the problem．I was shocked with guilt as I heard him asking, "Sir! Did you?"Why did a traffic jam happen on the road when the author was walking to the park?
| A．There was too much traffic in the street． |
| B．Truck drivers attempted to go ahead of others． |
| C．A taxi driver couldn't start his engine． |
| D．A young man wasn't good at driving． |
The author's attitude toward the passenger is that of __________．
| A．anger | B．respect | C．sympathy | D．guilt |
Why did the author feel guilty?
| A．Because he blamed the driver wrongly． |
| B．Because he didn't help the driver, either． |
| C．Because he tried to help but failed in the end． |
| D．Because he didn't persuade the passenger to help． |
From the incident, the author learnt a lesson that we should _________．
| A．criticize those who don't help |
| B．hurt the self-respect of others no more |
| C．think more of those who are in need |
| D．stop talking and start to help |
American society is not nap (午睡) friendly. In fact, says David Dinges, a sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “There's even a prohibition (禁止) against admitting we need sleep”. Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work. To quote a proverb: Some sleep five hours, nature requires seven, laziness nine and wickedness eleven? Wrong. The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them.
“We have to totally change our attitude toward napping”, says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University, the godfather of sleep research.
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as important as the national debt; the commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness: people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving. This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House. According to recent reports, President Clinton is trying to take a half hour snooze (打瞌睡) every afternoon.
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity. We seem to have “a mid-afternoon quiet phase” also called “a secondary sleep gate.” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed. Clearly, we were born to nap. We Superstars of Snooze don't nap to replace lost shut eye or to prepare for a night shift. Rather, we “snack” on sleep, whenever, wherever and at whatever time we feel like it. I myself have napped in buses, cars, planes and on boats; on floors and beds; and in libraries, offices and museums. It is commonly accepted in American society that too much sleep is _______.
| A．unreasonable | B．criminal | C．harmful | D．costly |
The research done by the Dement commission shows that Americans _______.
| A．don't like to take naps | B．are terribly worried about their national debt |
| C．sleep less than is good for them | D．have caused many industrial and traffic accidents |
The purpose of this article is to _______.
| A．warn us of the wickedness of napping | B．explain the danger of sleepiness |
| C．discuss the side effects of napping | D．convince the reader of the necessity of napping |
The “American sleep debt” (Line 1, Para. 3) is the result of _______.
| A．the traditional misunderstanding the Americans have about sleep |
| B．the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration |
| C．the rapid development of American industry |
| D．the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness |