Speaking in his first National Day Rally speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien said Singapore’s education system was set for more reforms in the years ahead, particularly for the primary and secondary education. Read the summary of his thoughts on education below.
For a start, the government is prepared to send an additional 3,000 teachers to Singapore schools, cut the courses of study even further and change the way the mother tongue, especially Chinese, is taught. But, for the changes to be successful, parents need to help.
Singapore has a devoted group of teachers and principles and quite a few of them are outstanding, but the Republic’s schools can be even better. To help the schools make a jump in quality, the government plans that within the next 6 years, it will send 1,000 more teachers to primary schools, 1,400 to secondary schools and 550 more to junior colleges. Each school would decide how to use its extra teachers. Some may want to make classes smaller so students get more individual attentions while others may have new teachers assist more senior teachers, but the overall goal is to give teachers the time and space to come up with ways to bring out the best in their students.
More teachers must not mean more homework, however. In fact, the Prime Minister wants to see the courses cut down so that there is less pressure on the students. Good grades are important but they should not be the only goal students have. PM Lee is convinced that “we must teach less so that our children can learn more.”
Another change will be in the teaching of the mother of tongue so that students can become more fluent. The key is to teach Chinese as a living language not just an academic subject like Latin. Therefore, the focus should be on speaking and reading the language. To do this, there must be an environment outside the classroom that is contributing to strengthening the Chinese lessons.The text is mainly about in Singapore.
| A．the education reform |
| B．adding more teachers |
| C．the mother tongue |
| D．ways of teaching |
The general goal of using extra teachers is to .
| A．make classes smaller |
| B．assist more senior teachers |
| C．teach more |
| D．help teachers improve teaching quality |
PM Lee holds that the students should .
| A．do more homework |
| B．give up higher grades |
| C．study more courses |
| D．be given more time to learn more |
The key to teaching Chinese well is to .
| A．make it academic |
| B．have a creative environment |
| C．give more Chinese lessons |
| D．encourage speaking and reading a lot |
The measures to be carried out will have pressure taken off .
| A．teachers |
| B．students |
| C．parents |
| D．the government |
There are thousands of products of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are worth a try. How? Packaging （包装）is the silent but persuading salesman.
There on the shelves, each bottle, can, box, and jar has been carefully designed and measured to speak to the inner self of the consumer（消费者）, so that is buying not only a product but also his belief in life. Scientists have studied consumer behavior recently and found that the look of the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “Consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products,” as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers’ feeling for packaging, noticed.
Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colors draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years, the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that it is very good for your body. And the word “green” today can keep food prices going up.
Shapes are another attraction. Circles often suggest happiness and peacefulness, because these shapes are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That’s why the round yellow M signs of McDonald’s are inviting to both young and old.
This new consumer response（反应）to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people buy to satisfy both body and soul.
60．According to the passage, ______ seems to be able to persuade a consumer to buy the product.
A．the pleasing color of the package B．the special taste of the product
C．the strange shape of the package D．the belief in the product
61．If a package or a product is round in shape, it can ________.
A．bring excitement to the consumers B．attract the consumers’ attention
C．catch the eye movement of the consumers D．produce a happy and peaceful feeling
62． “And the word ‘green’ today can keep food prices going up.” This sentence suggests that consumers today are ________.
A．starting to notice the importance of new food
B．enjoying the beauty of nature more than before
C．beginning to like green vegetables
D．paying more attention to their healthy
63．It can be inferred from the passage that V8 is a kind of ________.
A．vegetable dish B．healthy juice C．iced drink D．red vegetable
The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7.30pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.
By 9.45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11.00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry.
Their experience suggests that the words an the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6.30 -8.30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8.00pm or 8.30pm means possible dinner, but 9.30pm and any time thereafter means no food, oat beforehand, roll up late.
But this is not always the case. If asked to a students’ party at 6.30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive - looking eager - is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6.30, she likes to be them, if not on lime, then no later than seven. My age group （late thirties） falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're young, we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.
The accepted custom at present is confusing （混乱的）, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element （成分） of surprise.
68. The underlined words "off their heads" probably mean______.
A. tired B. crazy C. curious D. hopeless
69. Jane and David’s story is used to show that______.
A. petty-goer8 usually get hungry at parties
B. party invitations can be confusing
C. people should ask for food at parties
D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull
70. For some young people, arriving on time for a students’ party will probably be considered_______.
A. very difficult B. particularly thoughtful
C. friendly and polite D. socially unacceptable
71. According to the writer, people in their late thirties_______.
A. are likely to arrive late for a party
B. care little about the party time
C. haven’t really grown up yet
D. like surprises at parties
72. What is the general idea of the text?
A. It’s safe to arrive late just when food is served.
B. It’s wise to eat something before going to a party.
C. It’s important to follow social rules of party-going.
D. It’s necessary to read invitations carefully.
My first reaction was annoyance. It was Friday afternoon, and I was within an hour of finishing my work for the week. As I was leaving, a nurse brought me one more patient message. The statement read: "Mm. Jones called to say that she has had blurred vision （视觉模糊） ever since her medical test this morning." I smiled. Suddenly our tests were causing eye problems.
This week my patients had questioned everything. My patient with high blood pressure had stopped coming to her treatment on the advice of an Internet chat room. A woman who had a mental problem was substituting （用......代替） St. John’s word for her medication. Now Mrs. Jones was imagining problems. I rolled my eyes.
My second reaction was worry. As I looked through her record, I tried to figure out why she would have blurred vision, but nothing in her record explained the new problem. She’s probably just anxious, I thought. Still, she wouldn't have called if she had been all right. I picked up the phone.
What I next felt can only be described as delight. Before I made the call, the nurse ran in: Mrs. Jones called. Her vision is fine. Turns out she picked up the wrong glasses when she left the office. The X-ray technician has been having the same problem. I let out a laugh. Mrs. Jones had been right. Her vision had been blurred. Now we know why.
Finally I felt shame. I came to realize what Mrs. Jones had taught me. I had first known she was wrong, that her anxiety had clouded hex judgment. Instead, my medical training had clouded mine. Now I feel thankful that Mrs. Jones figured it out before I made a mistake about our relationship. Patients come to me for my help. They pay me to listen, diagnose （诊断）, treat and talk. That suggests trust; I must remember that, and trust them too.
61. The writer smiled while reading the patient message because he knew_____.
A. Mrs. Jones would ask for more tests
B. the patient was being unreasonable
C. the nurse was joking with him
D. Mrs. Jones would call him
62. What has caused Mrs. Jones’ eye problem?
A. Wrong glasses. B. Medical checkup.
C. Her own imagination. D. Chatting on the Internet.
63. The underlined words "clouded her judgment" in the last paragraph probably mean_______.
A. made her less trustful toward the doctor
B. put her in control of her own feelings
C. made her less able to think clearly
D. put her in a dangerous situation
If you want to be a success, study at the University of Waikato is right for you. The university is internationally recognised for its excellence and achievements. It will help you develop advanced research skills. As a university student you can get first-class research facilities (设施) with trained teachers to help, support and advise you in your study. We pride ourselves on our high standards, our research success and our international recognition. For further information: inf@waikato.ac.nz.
Degree
We offer a wide choice of bachelor’s degrees (学位) for international students, which includes: Arts, Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education are only for New Zealand citizens, for further information: deg@waikato.ac.nz.
Tuition Fees (学费)
Tuition fees are different from department to department, generally from $5,000 to $6,000 a year. For further information: tui@waikato.ac.nz.
Accommodation (住宿)
You can have a room in a 4-bedroom flat, which will cost about $100 a month with other regular living costs of about $150 a month for one person. For further information: acc@waikato. ac.nz
Health
The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctor's and nurses to meet your medical needs. For further information: heal@waikato.ac.nz.
Sports
The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, basketball and indoor football courts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Waikato. For further information: sport@ waikato.ac.nz
68. If you want to get more information about arts, you can write to ______.
A. sport@waikato.ac.nz B. heal@waikato.ac.nz
C. deg@waikato.ac.nz D. inf@waikato.ac.nz
69. You have to pay at least ______ a year if you study at the University of Waikato.
A. $5,250 B. $8,000 C. $9,000 D. $11,000
70. According to the text, what will you do if you are ill during Christmas holidays?
A. Go to a hospital nearby. B. Buy some medicine in a drug store.
C. See a doctor at the school medical centre. D. Try to get help from your classmates.
Apollo
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72. Which of the following magazines will probably provide you with articles about music and paintings?
A. Apollo. B. The Week.
C. New Internationalist. D. The Guardian Weekly.
73. It is possible that most of the readers of the four magazines are ______.
A. men B. women C. children D. grown-ups
74. Which of the following would you most probably read if you want to get information from the world’s most popular newspapers?
A. Apollo & The Week.
B. Apollo & New Internationalist.
C. The Guardian Weekly & The Week.
D. The Guardian Weekly & New Internationalist.
75. The purpose of writing these four texts is to ______.
A. tell the readers the latest news
B. get more readers to subscribe （订阅）
C. show the importance of the four magazines
D. introduce the four magazines to new readers