D
Reading Oliver James'Affluenza, I thought about what often happens at home. My 12-year-old daughter is in tears."I have so take a test tomorrow. I don't understand any of it," she cries out. After shouting and shutting her door, she calms down enough to go through her notes. The following dry I ask her how the test went and the just says "OK,I got a nine".
"Wow. well done!" I say, before she finishes with "But I never get a ten!"
According to James, this obsession with getting top marks has been a bad development, which encourages people to think of education in terms of work and money. To test this, I asked my daughter why she was so worried about her tests. She looked at me as if I was thick. "Well, if I don't get good grades, I won't be able to afford nice things like a car and stuff."
I was quite surprised, because I don't consider myself a pushy parent. But James suggests and it leaves students feeling failures even if they are very bright. He points to the Danish system(体制)of education as a better model. Creating happy citizens who have good social skills is seen as more important than high achievements at school or the needs of business.
For me, I cannot remember the last time I had to work out the area of a circle, recite a Shakespeare poem or grammar rules, yet I have lived a happy life. What I really needed to learn at school was how to make polite conversations, or how to avoid getting into debt or how to develop good personality.
This is in fact similar to what Oliver James really has in mind. And he is looking for schools where students are encouraged to find and follow their own interests, something more like Tongjon. Tongjon has been developed in some Korean private schools. It is quite different from the more rigid system of learning things by heart that is used in Korea, and indeed in many other school systems around the world.
As the Russian poet Pushkin said," Inspiration(灵感)is needed in geometry(几何学)just as much as in poetry ",and inspiration does not come from endlessly revising for tests or getting worried about them .What does the writer probably think of his/her daughter?
A.She sets herself a goal too high to reach. |
B.She should be more polite to her parents. |
C.She is hard-working but not very bright. |
D.She takes her grades much too seriously. |
What does the word "obsession"in paragraph 3 mean?
A.A plain and unavoidable fact. |
B.A satisfied and very proud state. |
C.A practical and widely-used way. |
D.A fixed and often unreasonable idea. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Social skills are as important as high grades. |
B.Interest in grades can shake self-confidence. |
C.The writer regrets not having studied hard at school. |
D.Danish educational system is for very smart students. |
The writer wants to tell us that____.
A.learning happily is the key to self-development. |
B.top marks may be helpful to increase one's interest. |
C.tests should be improved to give children inspiration. |
D.education should meet one's needs for word and money. |
Do you want to know about my staying in America? It was really an eye-opening experience. In China, I had English classes five times a week. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English was from daily English until I went to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say “I’m fine” when people say “How are you?” But in America, I found that people said “I’m good” or “I’m tired.” One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin whiter. I’m also surprised by how hard-working American students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard. But in America, a good student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music. According to the writer, textbook English isdaily English.
A.different from | B.the same as |
C.more difficult than | D.as easy as |
The underlined word “confused” means“” in Chinese.
A.厌倦的 | B.感兴趣的 |
C.疑惑的 | D.耐心的 |
A good American student spends his or her time .
A.only in doing homework |
B.only on sports |
C.only on music |
D.on study, sports, music and public work |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The writer has returned from America. |
B.American girls love to have white skin. |
C.Schoolwork is almost everything for Chinese students. |
D.American students are hard-working. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
A.My travelling in the US |
B.My opinions about the US |
C.My studying in the US |
D.My friends in the US |
Tina was not like many of her classmates. She didn’t listen to popular music or watch many movies, and she wasn’t interested in nice clothes. When she got together with her friends, they wanted to listen to rock and pop music. When Tina asked if they would like to try classical (古典的) music, they all looked at her strangely.“Classical music is for old people, ” one of her friends said. Tina was worried that something was wrong with her. She decided to talk to her father. As she entered his study (书房), her father could feel something was wrong.
“Dad, am I strange?” she asked her father.“Of course not, ” he answered. “Why do you ask that?” “Because I don’t like the same things as my classmates do. They want to listen to Mariah Carey’s music. I like Yo Yo Ma’s.” “I can understand, Tina, it’s all rightto be your own person. You don’t have to copy (模仿) what other people do. Everybody has different tastes. Some of them are popular, and others aren’t. ”After talking with her father, Tina felt better. She realized (意识到) that being different made her special. It was an important lesson for her to learn.Tina liked to.
A.listen to Mariah Carey’s music |
B.go to the movies |
C.listen to classical music |
D.buy nice clothes |
Why did Tina talk with her father?
A.Because she wanted to tell him about Yo Yo Ma. |
B.Because she wanted to talk about her problem. |
C.Because she wanted to know about her friends. |
D.Because she wanted to give him some ideas. |
What does the underlined part “be your own person” mean?
A.Do what’s right for you. |
B.Try to like the same things. |
C.Do what others do. |
D.Try to get everything you need. |
Tina’s father made Tina feel.
A.angry | B.worried |
C.excited | D.better |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.We don’t have to be like others. |
B.Friends can say bad things sometimes. |
C.Classical music is better than pop music. |
D.Tina found a new friend. |
Dear Tom
How are you? I'm at a new school this term. And I'm writing to you about my school now. My new school is big and nice. There are one thousand and four hundred students and one hundred and forty teachers at my school. I like the teachers. They are very kind to me. My classmates are very friendly, too. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English.
There are trees, flowers and green grass at my school. They are very beautiful. Behind my school there is a small river. The water in it is quite clean. We can swim in it.
We have no classes on Saturdays or Sundays. Sometimes I go to play football or basketball with my classmates. Sometimes I stay at home and watch TV. Sometimes I go to shops with my father and mother. We all like China.
Please write to me soon!
Yours
JackJack is at a/an ________ school.
A.English | B.Chinese |
C.small | D.Japanese |
There are ________ students and ________ teachers at Jack's school.
A.1,400; 104 | B.1, 040; 104 |
C.1,400; 140 | D.1, 040; 140 |
Jack's teachers ________.
A.teach him English very well |
B.only teach him Chinese and English |
C.don't like him at all |
D.are quite good to him |
Jack ________ his new classmates.
A.doesn't get on well with |
B.doesn't like |
C.makes good friends with |
D.is going to learn English from |
Which is TRUE?
A.Jack goes to school every day. |
B.Jack doesn't have classes every day. |
C.Jack has no classes only on Saturdays. |
D.Jack has no classes only on Sundays. |
On Children's Day a young woman from America goes to Beihai Park with her little daughter. There are too many people in the park. The woman can't find her daughter, So she goes to the policeman for help. She tells the policeman her daughter is only six years old. She has two big eyes and a round face. Her hair is golden yellow. And she is in a short blue dress. At last the policeman helps her find her daughter. She thanks him very much.On Children's Day, _______ woman goes to Beihai Park with her little daughter.
A.an America | B.American |
C.USA | D.an American |
The woman can't find her_______.
A.son | B.daughter |
C.children | D.sister |
Her daughter is only _______.
A.five | B.six |
C.seven | D.four |
The little girl's hair is _______.
A.yellow | B.black |
C.brown | D.golden yellow |
_______ helps her find her daughter.
A.The men | B.Policemen |
C.Some people | D.The policeman |
Jack is a schoolboy. He is from England. He lives in a small town, not far from London. He lives with his grandmother. His parents work in London. They come only on Saturday and Sunday.
Jack has a small bike. He rides to school every day. He likes to study. He listens to the teachers carefully in class. He works very hard at his lessons. After school he often does the shopping for his grandma. He does his homework in the evening. He watches TV only on Sunday evening. Jack is a good boy and his parents like him very much.Jack is a_______.
A.teacher | B.student |
C.driver | D.doctor |
Jack lives_______ London.
A.in | B.far from |
C.near | D.on |
Jack lives with his_______.
A.father | B.mother |
C.grandmother | D.brother |
Jack goes to school_______.
A.by bike | B.on foot |
C.by bus | D.by car |
Jack_______ in the evening.
A.does the shopping | B.does his homework |
C.does the cleaning | D.watches TV |