LONDON, Feb. 18，2014（Xinhua News agency）—Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division（长除法）, for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?
| A．To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths. |
| B．To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high. |
| C．To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there. |
| D．To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results?
| A．British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. |
| B．British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. |
| C．The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. |
| D．The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland. |
What has made schools in Shanghai the most successful in teaching maths in the eye of Truss?
| A．Curriculum and teaching methods. |
| B．Teaching practices and a positive mind. |
| C．Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables. |
| D．A focus on times tables and long division. |
How will students’ poor performance in maths affect the country?
| A．By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy. |
| B．By weakening the country's political system. |
| C．By losing international competitions in education. |
| D．By failing to find jobs in a global labor market. |
What can we infer from the news?
| A．The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths. |
| B．The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world. |
| C．The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths. |
| D．Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work. |
Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5：30 and at 6：30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over (被绊倒)Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医).
When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once moreentering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately, ”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched (发出尖锐的声音)to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now. ”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white—faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God, ” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat：it turned out to be three human fingers.”. What was Joanne supposed to do at 6：30？
| A．To walk her dog. | B．To see her doctor. |
| C．To attend a club meeting. | D．To play tennis with her friends. |
. Joanne wanted to get back to her home again.
| A．to dress up for the meeting | B．to phone the police station |
| C．to catch the badly hurt burglar | D．to wait for her dog to be cured |
. From the passage, we can infer that.
| A．Sheba fought against the burglar |
| B．the police found the burglar had broken in |
| C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting |
| D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog |
. In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is.
| A．clever | B．friendly | C．frightening | D．devoted |
．The underlined word a burglar in the last paragraph probably means ________.
| A．a cleaner | B．a physician | C．a thief | D．a murderer |
In Colombia, there are some unwritten rules that people are used to. These rules are not officially established, but people do respect them. For example, on a bus, a person keeps a distance from another person, and people don’t like to touch each other. Many people come to work late because they prefer to wait for another bus if the first one is too crowded. They don’t want to have to stand too close to another person, or maybe they are afraid of starting a conversation.
A friend of mine in Colombia once said his mom got angry because he came home late, so he asked her, “Mom, what do you think of most people arriving at their jobs so late?” That gave her the a
nswer to her question since everyone knows no one wants to get on a bus that is too crowded. His mother realized at that moment that customs have a big influence on a person’s life.
Sometimes, people don’t like to make any kind of conversation or make eye contact(接触) with others. For example, when they are in line at a bank, they prefer to look up or down rather than look at other people.
Moreover, people usually look down when they are in an elevator. Not only on a bus, in line at a bank, and in an elevator do people usually avoid 
talking to other people, but also in the streets when they are walking, they prefer to look down and to avoid contact with others. Why do many people get to work late in Colombia?
| A．They always think the next bus will be better. |
| B．They don’t want to get on crowded buses. |
| C．It’s an official rule in Colombia. |
| D．They get into conversations and miss their buses. |
From the text we learn that .
| A．customs influence people’s lives | B．a mother always understands her son |
| C．people respect each other in Colombia | D．people like to talk in elevators in Colombia |
When people in Colombia are in line at banks, they .
| A．make eye contact | B．look at other people |
| C．make conversation | D．look up or down |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．What People Do in Different Situations | B．Avoid Getting on a Crowded Bus |
| C．Special Customs in Colombia | D．Obeying Unwritten Rules |
When Julia Rhodes is asked what she does for a living，she says she is a “wind farmer”．While her job is operation manager for wind farm owner RES-Gen：Rhodes is responsible for making sure their l4 wind farms in the UK and Ireland are using the power of the wind to produce power for homes and businesses．
RES-Gen is a division of leading renewable energy group Renewable Energy Systems(RES)，a UK-based company with global operations． RES was one of the pioneers of wind energy technology．It built the UK’s second wind farm in l992．Since then：RES has built more than 40 wind farms across four continents．
Rhodes graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in manufacturing engineering． Following that，she received a master's degree in renewable energy systems technology specializing in wind energy． Rhodes has worked in the wind sector ever since, providing technical support for two leading wind farm developers before joining RES in 2001．
RES’s projects are continually monitored by computer and checked remotely on a daily basis．Regular servicing is carried out by contractors(承包者)，usually every six months. Rhodes always has a top—level view of how well the wind turbines(涡轮)are operating．
Rhodes is a supporter of wind—energy engineering．She also works closely with other departments to keep good relations with the communities around RES’s wind farms．The open days and government officials’ visits show that wind power is popular and that wind projects-are viewed positively．
Renewable energy is a growing sector with attractive career prospects． For Rhodes．as the RES wind farms expand，the team that she manages is expected to increase．She enjoys working for a company with strong engineering roots and a highly respected track record(业绩)．Her job as a wind farmer is challenging and enjoyable．“It's great knowing that you are helping to bring about a clean．environment and are contributing to the global community．”What’s the text mainly about?
| A．Julia Rhodes and her work． | B．Why Julia Rhodes works in RES． |
| C．The importance of renewable energy． | D．How出e wind can produce Dower． |
What can we know about Julia Rhodes?
| A．She once worked as a farmer to make a living． |
B．She has worked in RES ever  since graduation． |
| C．She likes her job as a wind farmer very much． |
| D．She is in charge of forty wind farms in the UK． |
What can we learn about RES from the text?
| A．It built the UK's first wind farm in 2001． |
| B．It plays a leading role in the wind sector． |
| C．It is an important branch of RES—Gen． |
| D．It provides regular servicing for its contractors． |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．RES is financially supported by the British government． |
| B．Wind farms receive a warm welcome around the UK． |
| C．RES has developed at a high speed during recent years． |
| D．Rhodes thinks people should create a clean environment． |
Dear All，
Happy New Year! A list of important dates for this term is attached to this letter．
Interviews for our April and September Primary One classes will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday，18th&19th January．Now is the time to apply for admission to Peak School．
Children are expected to weal their uniforms this term．As is usual at this time of the year，mornings at the school are quite cold and l would suggest children wear their sweaters to school．As the temperature goes up during the day，children
tend to take off their outer clothes，so it is important that all sweatshirts are labeled(贴有标签)．
I have received a few requests from parents asking if their children can wear summer uniforms this term．I am of the view that all children in the school should follow the school policy and be dressed in the appropriate uniforms．In the longer term，a number of US at school have questioned the need to have a winter and summer uniform．Perhaps．with careful consideration，we can develop a uniform that will serve children for the whole academic year．
As the foggy(多雾)mornings start to appear，a number of parents have raised concerns over the safety of those children who walk to school． Our dark green uniforms are not particularly visible to motorists．Hopefully, the “Uniform Committee” to be set up this term will deal with this particular issue．I will keep parents informed of the channels through which views may be expressed in future newsletters．
We still have a “No Hat，No Play” rule on the playground，so children need to ensure that they have their sunhats in school at all times．
Yours sincerely，
P D Tunesi
PrincipalThe letter was most probably written．
| A．when the school year ended |
| B．before the new term started |
| C．after kids were admitted to school |
| D．after kids were interviewed |
This letter was mainly written to．
| A．teachers | B．visitors | C．students | D．parents |
What do we know about the present school uniforms?
| A．The school has solved the problems． |
B．They are invisible to motorist s on foggy days． |
| C．The school is considering changing them． |
| D．There is a winter and summer school uniform． |
We can infer from the text that．
| A．the school has strict rules on uniforms |
| B．kids can’t have classes without wearing hats |
| C．parents are satisfied with the uniforms |
| D．most kids walk to school on foggy mornings |
Windsurfing is a sport that combines sailing and surfing．In 1948，twenty-year-old Newman Darby first 
thought of using a handheld sail to contro1 a small boat．Darby did not apply for a patent(专利)for his design at first．However，he is recognized as the inventor of the first sailboard．
Californians Jim Drake，a sailor and engineer，and Hoyle Schweitzer，a surfer and skier received the patent for a sailboard．They called their design a windsurfer．The early windsurfer boards measured 3．5 meters long and weighed 60 pounds．Later in the l980s，Newman Darby did apply for and receive a design patent for a one—person sailboat．
In the late l940s，Newman Darby found he could control a 3-meter-long sailboat and make turns even without a rudder(舵)．In l964 he designed the first universal joint(万向接头)to go along with a flat bottom sailing boat．This sailboard was equipped with a universal joint，a board and a kite—shaped free sail and thus windsurfing was born．
Naomi Darby，Newman’s wife，was the first woman windsurfer and helped her husband build and design the first sailboard．She sailed while standing up，controlling the boat without the use of a rudder．She tilted(倾斜)the sail to change directions．This was something that had never been done before．
Hoyle Schweitzer began producing sailboards in the early 1970s．The sport became very popular in Europe．By the late 1970s，windsurfing fever had Europe firmly in its grasp with one in every three families having a sailboard．
The first windsurfing world championship was held in 1973．Windsurfing first became an Olympic sport for men in l984 and for women in l992．Jim Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer received the patent for the design of．
| A．a sailboard called windsurfer | B．a kite—shaped free sail |
C．the first universal jo int |
D．a one—person sailboat |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Hoyle Schweitzer was a sailor and Jim Drake was a surfer． |
| B．Newman Darby’s wife supported him in his invention． |
| C．Newman Darby was the first to tilt the sail to change directions． |
| D．The first world windsurfing competition was held in the late l970s． |
Which is the correct order of the following events?
a．Newman Darby thought of controlling a boat with a handheld sail．
b．Newman Darby received his design patent．
c．Windsurfing became popular in Europe．
d．Windsurfing became an Olympic sport for women．
| A．acbd | B．abcd | C．acdb | D．bacd |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．The invention of windsurfing． | B．How windsurfing was popular in the world． |
| C．The history of windsurfing． | D．How windsurfing became an Olympic sport． |