A “Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent travelling or working. It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills.
Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows：
Learn about the World and Yourself
Although you don’t have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better.
Face Challenges and Have Fun
A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn’ t always easy, but it is an important part of growing up. Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun.
Save Money and Improve Your College Admission Chances
There’s a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it’ s not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college. Clear learning goals ran keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing.
Imagine an admission officer trying to admit (录取) only one between two students. Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the admission officer will choose?A “Gap Year” means in the passage.
| A．going abroad in a year for further education |
| B．travelling around the world in a year |
| C．taking a break before going to a university |
| D．doing a part-time job to make money during a vacation |
Besides having fun, gap year students have to face the .
| A．money | B．information | C．vacations | D．challenges |
Having a gap year may make you .
| A．become very rich |
| B．remain less popular |
| C．experience foreign cultures |
| D．have no chance to break |
The last sentence implies(暗含) that will probably be admitted by the admission officer.
| A．either of the two students |
| B．t he student with high grades |
| C．neither of the two students |
| D．the student with a gap year experience |
Hundreds of years ago，a Roman army came north from England to make war on Scotland. The Scots，a brave people，loved their country very much. They fought hard to drive the enemy out of Scotland，but there were too many Romans. It looked as if the Romans would win.
One night，the leader of Scots marched his soldiers to the top of a hill. “We will rest here tonight，my men,”he said. “Tomorrow we will fight one more battle. We must win or we will die.”
They were all very tired，so they ate their supper quickly and fell asleep. There were four guards on duty，but they，too，were very tired，and one by one，also fell asleep.
The Romans were not asleep. Quickly they gathered at the foot of the hill. Slowly they climbed up the hillside，taking care not to make a sound. Closer and closer they came to the sleeping Scots. They were almost at the top. A few minutes more，the war would be over. Suddenly，one of them put his foot on a thistle(蓟). He cried out and his sudden cry woke the Scots. In a moment，they were on their feet and ready for battle. The fighting was hard but it did not last long. The Scots wiped out the Romans and saved their country.
The thistle is not a beautiful plant. It has sharp needles all over it. Few people like it. But the people of Scotland liked it so much that they made it their national flower.Hundreds of years ago there was a war between ________.
| A．Roman army and North England |
| B．Roman army and the Scots |
| C．England and Scots |
| D．a brave people and the Scots |
At first it looked as if the Romans would win because ________.
| A．the Scots were not brave |
| B．the Roman army was so strong |
| C．the Scots did not have a good leader |
| D．the Romans had the support from the Scottish |
“We must win or we will die.”What the leader of the Scots said means ________.
| A．they were sure to win |
| B．they couldn't escape from death |
| C．they would win and then they would die |
| D．they must try hard to win，otherwise they would be killed |
The Romans climbed up the hill quietly because ________.
| A．they didn't want to wake the Scots |
| B．they wanted to reach the top |
| C．they wanted to catch the four guards first |
| D．they were afraid of the sharp needles of the thistle |
The people of Scotland made thistle their national flower because ________.
| A．it is a beautiful plant |
| B．it is fresh and lovely |
| C．it had so many sharp needles all over it |
| D．it was the thistle that helped the Scots to win the battle |
Dream culture is an important part of ancient Chinese culture. Dream interpreting（理解）is popular in China, and the most famous reference for dream interpreting is the book of Duke of Zhou Interprets Dreams.
Ancient Chinese people thought that dreams could suggest lucky and unlucky things. Since different dreams have different meanings, people canget meanings of good or bad luck by interpreting them. Actually, dream interpreting is not totally a superstition. It does have some scientific value.
● Dreams are the reflection of the facts. Many dreams are actually something about what happened in the daytime. This kind of dream can be easily understood without dream interpreting.
● Dreams are the body’s self-implication (自我暗示). Traditional Chinese medical science says that dreams are connected with the health condition of humans’ bodies. When Yin and Yang are imbalanced, dreams come into being. If someone dreamt that he or she was roasted by a big fire, it shows he or she might easily get angry or nervous.
● Dreams are usually different from the facts. It means that things will develop in the opposite direction when they become worse.
To some degree, Duke of Zhou Interprets dreams is scientifically reasonable. Over thousands of years has passed, the book still has many secrets waiting for us to explore.
According to the passage, dream culture .
is important in ancient Chinese culture
is unimportant in foreign culture
has no scientific value
is something about GodIn the old days, Chinese people thought that dreams .
were very popular
could suggest lucky and unlucky things
couldn’t be interpreted
were always different from the factsThe underlined word “superstition” means “” in Chinese.
| A．科学 | B．预兆 | C．明魇 | D．迷信 |
If you dream that you are roasted by a big fire, maybe you are
| A．excited | B．relaxed | C．nervous | D．bored |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
Duke of Zhou Interprets Dreams is a book about dream interpreting.
When Yin and Yang are not balanced, you dream easily.
Dreams sometimes are the opposite of the facts.
There are no secrets in the book Duke of Zhou Interprets Dreams
It is true that people with better education are usually able to get better paying jobs. In other words, they have more chances to choose a good job while people with little or no education don’t. It seems that the purpose of education is to make people get jobs. But this isn’t accepted by all people.
Some people may think that a person should spend the best years of his life getting education only for a way of living. This was probably one of the earliest reasons of education. In fact, if education is just a way of making a living. People don’t need to spend so much time in school. People can get education for a living in a short time. Subjects like history and geography need not be taught to everyone. Even language and mathematics need not be taught in detail (详细地), either. Here it is clear that education is much more than teaching a man to get a way of living.
Education is well-rounded and it is mainly for improving a man. It is not only to teach him to speak, read and write, but also to develop his creative thinking and other abilities. After that, it is to make him a wise man and thankfully enjoy the achievements of human. Education is to make a man lead a better life. Educated people are expected to be able to listen to good music, read good books, watch plays and most of all take an interest in the world.
I would agree that making a good living is an important reason for education, but certainly not the most important or the main reason.
People with little education usually .
| A．spend a long time in school |
| B．have a good chance to get a job |
| C．spend the best years to choose jobs |
| D．have fewer chances to get a good job |
The earliest education was probably to .
make a man lead a better life
teach a man to write and think
make people get a way of living
teach people to read good booksThe underlined word “well-rounded” in the passage means ““ in Chinese.
| A．圆满的 | B．崭新的 | C．公平的 | D．全面的 |
It is expected that educated people will be able to .
accepted education as a way of living
take an interest in the world
develop their abilities to make plays
learn subjects like language and mathThe passage mainly tells us that .
education is mainly for improving a man
people can get education in a short time
people should be able to get better paying jobs
all subjects are so important for a way of living
Born in 1947, Hillary lived a happy childhood．Her parents were open to anything that interested her．But they were also strict．When young Hillary got straight A (全优) grades at school, her father said the school must have been too easy．
Years later, young Hillary put all her energy into politics (政治)．She became a student leader．She discussed political events with her friends and began to research social problems．
In 1969, Hillary entered Yale Law School, where she met Bill Clinton．The two soon became partners in political career and the journey of love．
Even after Bill became President of the US in 1992, the First Lady didn’t want to just be the president’s wife．She worked on US health care．
“When she takes on a project, she works tirelessly (孜孜不倦地) until it is completed,” said Betty Lowe, an old friend of the Clintons．“It was that kind of determination (决心) that helped her win the people’s respect．”
| Her childhood |
She was happy in her childhood．Her parents were open to things that she was She did |
| Becoming a student |
All her |
| Meeting Bill Clinton |
She met Bill Clinton after |
| Being the First Lady |
She worked on US |
| Estimation(评价) from her friend |
Her determination helped her |
It is Mother's Day. John is busy with his work during the day. When he passes by a flower shop in the evening, he thinks, ‘I'll send Mum some roses (玫瑰).’ While John is looking at the flowers, a young man comes inside. ‘How many roses can I buy for only five dollars , madam?’ he asks. The shopkeeper tells him that a dozen of roses(一打玫瑰) is forty dollars. Maybe he can buy some carnations (康乃馨). They are much cheaper.
‘No, I only want to have red roses,’ he says. ‘My mum was badly ill and I didn't spend much time with her. Now I want to give her something special, it must be roses because rose is her favorite.’
After hearing it, John says he can help him pay for the rest (其余) of the money. The shopkeeper is moved (感动的) and says, ‘Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you.’ Taking the roses, the young man almost jumps into the air and runs out of the shop. Then John pays for his dozen of roses and tells the shopkeeper to send them to his mother.
As he walks out, he feels nice. Suddenly he sees the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon John knows it is not a park but a cemetery (墓地). Crying, the young man carefully puts down the roses, ‘Mum, oh, Mum, why didn't I tell you how much I loved you? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her.’
Seeing this, John turns and quickly walks to the shop. He will take the flowers home himself.The shopkeeper asks the young man to buy carnations because ________.
| A．carnations are nicer than roses |
| B．John buys all the roses. |
| C．roses are cheaper than carnations |
| D．carnations are cheaper than roses |
The young man is crying at the cemetery because he ________.
| A．can’t tell his mother he loved her himself |
| B．spends all his money on the roses |
| C．feels sorry to ask John to pay for his flowers |
| D．has no money for his sick mother |
Finally John takes the flowers home himself because he wants to ________.
| A．tell his mother he loved her himself |
| B．ask his mother for more money |
| C．tell his mother the young man's story |
| D．ask his mother if she likes roses |
What is the main idea of the article?
| A．Buy roses for mother when she is ill． |
| B．Let mother know how much you love her． |
| C．Work hard to make money for mother． |
| D．Send mother flowers on Mother's Day． |