Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she was really a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take a flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on the top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled (蹒跚) off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to go and help her,”whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?”replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,”reasoned Meg.“Come on, Amy! Let’s go.”The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken.“Go and get Dad,”Amy yelled at her brother.“Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.Why were the children hiding in the tree?
| A．Because they wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely. |
| B．Because they were playing a hide-and-seek game. |
| C．Because they wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true. |
| D．Because they were pretending to be spies. |
Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when __________.
| A．her front steps were clean |
| B．she noticed the children in the tree |
| C．she was ready to take a flight |
| D．she heard the hen cackling |
Ben did not rush into helping Mrs. Tailor because _________.
| A．he thought that she could be tricking them |
| B．he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
| C．he did not see the old lady fall down |
| D．he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. My own children's school week is framed by pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then skim the text for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated (国家指定的) state test.
Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some reasonable methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First, one looks at a commercially available test. Then, one distills (提取) the skills needed not to master reading, say, or math, but to do well on the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
The ability to read or write or calculate might infer the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of the basics of skills make this fundamental confusion because people are test-centered rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with phonic and grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are capable of taking tests and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have' no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.As is indicated in the second paragraph, the author finds it strange that __.
| A．tests are used to assess students' skills |
| B．skills are determined before tests are set |
| C．teaching is aimed to prepare students for tests |
| D．teachers use some reasonable methods of assessment |
The crisis of comprehension most probably results from __.
| A．students' poor phonic and grammar skills |
| B．teaching that takes up much of students' free time |
| C．teaching that emphasizes details rather than the whole |
| D．students' lack of ability to think about what they read |
According to the author, we can infer that __.
| A．the basics of skills have been discussed too much |
| B．the nature and quality of what is taught are fully concerned |
| C．skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students |
| D．doing well in a test does not necessarily mean acquiring the skill |
The British are being encouraged to holiday at home as a major tourism drive offering Olympic themed discounts is launched next week.
A new campaign offering 20. 12% discounted bills at participating venues (场所) will be announced publicly for the first time by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday to encourage "staycations".
The scheme includes hotel accommodation, meals, guided tours and entry to attractions, with discounts funded by the industry. Government officials said more than three million hotel rooms were already lined up under the project, which is being backed by a range of companies, including Butlins. Attractions, such as the London Eye and Alton Towers, are also taking part. Reduced prices will also be offered on stays on the Royal yacht Britannia, now harboring in Leith, Edinburgh, and visits to Chatsworth, the historic house in Derbyshire.
Tourists will be able to take advantage of the discount by using a dedicated website before the end of the Paralympics on September 9 to make bookings for this year and 2013.
Mr. Hunt said, "With the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic Games, this year is the perfect opportunity for more of us to holiday in the UK "
Mr. Hunt has travelled the UK, urging companies to take part in the scheme, telling them, "It's now or never for London tourism. We will never have a year like 2012 to show the world that this is, quite simply, the most exciting, vibrant, cosmopolitan city on the planet. The unavoidable complaints in the run up to an Olympics must not cloud the scale of the opportunity —including our biggest ever tourism marketing campaign to make sure we get a lasting benefit from being in the global spotlight. "
The scheme will be promoted by a ￡3 million television advertising campaign — the first of its kind in the UK.
The government hopes the " Holidays at Home are Great" campaign — launched by Visit England — will create 12, 000 jobs, create 5.3 million extra short overnight breaks, and generate ￡480 million in extra spending over three years.What Mr. Hunt said indicates that.
| A．he has no interest in the scheme |
| B．he supports the idea of staycation |
| C．he doubts the benefit of the scheme |
| D．he cares most about London tourism |
What does the underlined sentence (in Para. 6) mean?
| A．London tourism will never have a precious opportunity. |
| B．It is too golden an opportunity for London tourism to lose. |
| C．It is now too late for London tourism to take this opportunity. |
| D．London has ever had a valuable opportunity like the one in 2012. |
How will the "Holidays at Home are Great" campaign probably benefit London?
| A．It will offer 20. 12% discount to travelers' expenses. |
| B．It will attract more international travelers to visit London. |
| C．It will create more job opportunities and bring in more money. |
| D．It will prove London the most exciting, vibrant, cosmopolitan city on earth. |
In which section of a newspaper will this article be presented?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Politics. | C．Finance. | D．News. |
The necktie looks set to follow the top hat in being handed over to the fashion museum by office workers within the next 50 years, according to research.
Nearly three quarters (74%) think the tie will not survive within British firms beyond the next half a century with the popularity of the open-collared shirt. Its demise is being blamed on the boom in creative businesses, such as Facebook and Google, and online trading companies where formal dress codes tend to be avoided in favour of a more casual approach.
Once considered an important part of business dress, the tie has become a victim of the spread of "casual Fridays" into other weekdays, according to researchers.
The poll, by Deal Jungle. com, which helps small and medium enterprises, found more than half (51% ) thought the tie would die out in offices within the next 20 years and almost a quarter (22%) believed it would last less than 10 years.
A spokesman for the site, which has 20, 000 registered members, said: "Ties have been around seemingly forever but increasing numbers of office workers are telling them to get away."
"The success of businesses such as Facebook and Google, where even the CEO turns up wearing jeans and a hoodie, also seems to have had a corrosive (侵蚀性) effect on the idea of dressing formally for work."
"Many of our members keep their expenses to a minimum by working from home so they feel no need to dress up to go to work. We know that when they meet with clients, they still put on a business suit, but a tie is no longer seen as an essential part of the suited-and-booted look."
"Instead, many businessmen and increasing numbers of executives choose a suit and shirt with an open collar. The tie-less suit creates an impression of a more approachable deal maker, someone who is still business-minded, yet creative and technology-sensible, too. "Why are ties expected to disappear in offices?
| A．CEOs in creative businesses set a rule to forbid wearing ties. |
| B．The idea of casual weekdays is increasingly accepted. |
| C．Office workers are tired of wearing ties daily. |
| D．The tie-less look appears more modern. |
According to the spokesman, how are their members dressed before clients?
| A．Business suits and casual jeans. |
| B．Formal suits and a shirt with a tie. |
| C．Casual suits and buttoned-up shirt. |
| D．Business suits and an open-collared shirt. |
What kind of image does the tie-less suit create?
| A．Accessible in business. | B．Professional in fashion. |
| C．Casual in working. | D．Creative in dressing. |
What does the underlined word "demise" mean in Para.2?
| A．popularity | B．survival | C．disappearance | D．development |
Each spring brings a new wildflower blooming in the fields along the highway I travel daily to work.
There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours. The afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day each year for about two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in my yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the fields would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers.
Every day I drove past the flowers, thinking, "I'll stop on my way home and dig them." "Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty…" Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a tool one year for that expressed purpose.
One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had cleared up the fields and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, "Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring. "
A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a cancer. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven't been as close as we all would have liked.
I couldn't help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, I'm sure I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.How long might the blue flower bloom in spring?
| A．About two weeks. | B．The whole season. |
| C．About one week. | D．The whole day. |
Where did the writer want to transplant the flowers?
| A．Across the fields. | B．Along the highway. |
| C．In the garden. | D．Outside the yard. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the writer's sister-in-law?
| A．She is seriously ill. |
| B．She is twenty years old. |
| C．She lives far away from the writer. |
| D．She is not in close touch with the writer. |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．Value now and don't lose chances. |
| B．Visit our relatives only after they get ill. |
| C．Refresh our wonderful moments every year. |
| D．Plant flowers and don't enjoy them in the field. |
[1]One out of many important things for the whole family to do is to have dinner together. Researchers began reporting the benefits of family dinner about a decade ago, focusing mainly on how it affects children. Studies show that those families who eat dinner at least 3 or 4 times a week together, benefit in many ways.
[2]Eating together helps families achieve open communication and build stronger and healthier relationships. Children have better grades at school and are better adjusted as teens and adults, and the entire family enjoys healthier nutrition. For many families, eating dinner together proves to be good and effective way to reduce the risk of youth rates of addiction, and helps to raise healthier children. It is also a great time to share the events of the day, discuss news and ideas and just be together and enjoy each other's company.
[3]During dinner time parents have better opportunity to show that the prior to their children. Sitting at the same table and sharing meals is where and when parents can find out more about their children's school performance, daily activities and attitudes toward life. When parents have all this information they can better direct their kids toward positive things in life. They also have better chance to reduce the possibility that children will get involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
[4]However, family researchers say that the benefits of family dinner by no means can be considered as automatic. Parents can sit down to dinner with their kids every day and achieve nothing. _________ if there is too much arguing going on, if there is no meaningful conversation or, what is even worse, if there is just plain silence during gathering. What is the main idea of the text? (no more than 8 words)
________________________________________________________________What is the author’s attitude to family dinner?（no more than 2 words）
_________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words. (no more than 8 words)
_________________________________________________________________What information can parents probably get about their children at family dinner? (no more than 12 words)
_________________________________________________________________What does the word underlined in Para. 3 refer to.(No more than 2 words)?
________________________________________________________________