It has long been thought that first-born children are more successful than their younger brothers and sisters and often have qualities of being more organised and responsible as well as being eager to be in charge.
But a new study has shown that the elder child's achievements can help improve their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹) exam results by helping them to raise their game. For the first time ever, researchers from the University of Essex examined how the success of first born children in school affected their younger brothers and sisters by studying primary school test results.
And the data showed that having an older brother or sister improved a child’s learning with the equal effect of spending an extra £670 on the younger sibling's schooling. One of the study’s authors Birgitta Rabe explained, the older sibling’s achievement may have a direct effect on the younger sibling’s school grades if the older sibling teaches the younger sibling or helps with homework; the younger sibling imitates(模仿) the older sibling, for example in their work style, or tries to be different, for example to avoid competition; the older sibling passes on important information about educational choices or school and teachers to the younger sibling.
The effect is even more noticeable in less well-off families showing poorer children benefit more from a successful older sibling. “We find that the effect is larger for siblings in families relying on free school meals, living in poverty and speaking a language other than English at home. This means that children who live in poverty benefit more from a successful older sibling than children who live in well-off families.”
The study is mainly based on the children’s ________.
| A．exam results | B．work style |
| C．family background | D．educational choices |
According to the study, ________ tend to benefit more from a successful older sibling.
| A．the children who live in rich families |
| B．the children who live in poor families |
| C．the children whose parents are successful |
| D．the children whose mother language is English |
What can we conclude from the study?
| A．Younger siblings are more successful than first borns. |
| B．First-born children are as successful as their younger siblings. |
| C．First-born children are more successful than their younger siblings. |
| D．The success of first borns has positive effects on their younger siblings. |
The passage is likely to appear in ________.
| A．a newspaper advertisement |
| B．a high school textbook |
| C．a science magazine |
| D．a news report |
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century B.C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France, and later on in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colours.
45. According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient _______.
A. China B. Egypt C. Greece D. Rome
46. Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A. No one exactly knows who was the inventor of the umbrella.
B. The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.
C. The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century.
D. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.
47. A strange feature(特征) of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as _______.
A. protection against rain B. a shade against the sun
C. a symbol of honour and power D. women’s decoration
48. In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain ___________.
A. during the Middle Ages B. by the eighteenth century C. in Rome D. in Greece
When he thought of the past, my grandfather would sometimes show us photographs of himself at school. They were brown and faded, and it was hard to believe that the blurred(模糊) figure of the little boy in the short trousers and socks could ever have been Grandfather. Besides, he wore a cap --- all the boys in the photographs wore caps pulled so far forward that half of their faces were obscured. When Grandfather asked us to pick him out from the group, we would surely point to the wrong boy.
On one such occasion my younger sister, aged six, burst into tears when Grandfather proudly guided her finger to the right boy. "How could that boy be you?" she cried. "He should have a beard." We were, of course, all convinced that grandfathers should have beards, preferably white and bushy, like our own grandfather's.
"I was a good scholar," Grandfather would say, wagging his beard over the photographs. "I should have been top of the class if I hadn't had to get up at six every morning to milk the cows and chop the wood, and again when I came home from school."
"But Saturdays? What did you do on Saturdays?"
"Saturdays, if it was fine, I'd be out all day in the fields with the men," replied Grandfather. "And if it was wet, I'd be helping my mother with odd jobs round the house. There wasn't much time for studying."
We all tried hard to imagine what it would have been like to have seen Grandfather getting up at crack of dawn and never, obviously, having a moment for himself. It seemed we had learnt something from what Grandfather had said about his childhood.
41. In the first paragraph of this passage, what the author really tells us is that ________ .
A. his grandfather used to wear short trousers, socks and a cap as well
B. it was difficult to tell which of the boys in the photographs was Grandfather
C. he didn't believe Grandfather wore a cap pulled forward when he was at school
D. it was fun to watch boys in the photographs wearing caps pulled forward
42. The author's sister burst into tears because________.
A. she did not get a chance to pick out Grandfather in the photographs
B. she was told which was the right boy before she herself could pick him out
C. other children did not agree with her that Grandfather should have had a beard
D. she found Grandfather in the photographs did not have a beard
43. When Grandfather said, "I should have been top of the class...", he meant ________ .
A. if he had had more time for studying, he would have been the best in his class
B. he should have spent more time studying rather than playing ball games
C. his school days should not have been so hard and miserable
D. he could have never been the best student even if he had studied still harder
44. In the last paragraph the author said, "We all tried hard to imagine..." because ________ .
A. the figures of the boys in the photographs were small and blurred
B. the children had never experienced life like that of Grandfather
C. the photographs Grandfather showed them were brown and faded
D. Grandfather failed to tell them about his childhood in detail
“Cool”is a word with many meanings．Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed，the word has had many different meanings．
“Cool”can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything.When you see a famous car in the street，maybe you will say，“It's cool．”You may think，“He's so cool，”when you see your favourite footballer．
We all maximize（扩大） the meaning of“cool”．You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”．Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall（瀑布）they had visited．On one student's paper was Just the one sentence，“It's so cool．”Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt．
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words．Without “cool”，some people have no words to show the same meaning．So it is quite important to keep some credibility（可信性）．Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”？ I can．And I think they are also very cool．
66．We know that the word "cool" has had ________.
A．only one meaning B．no meanings
C．many different meanings D．the same meaning
67．In the passage，the word“express”means“________”. 
A．see B．show C．know D．feel
68．If you are _______ something，you may say，“It’s cool.”
A．interested in B．angry about
C．afraid of D．unhappy with
69．The writer takes an example to show he is ________ the way the word is used．
A．pleased withB．strange to
C．worried about D．careful with
70．In the passage，the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “cool”________．
A．can be used instead of many words
B．usually means something interesting
C．can make your life colourful
D．may not be as cool as it seems
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son's soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son's teammate, Mickey O'Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing (回响) across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted (沸腾). O'Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored. 
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."
61. What was the score of the soccer match?
A. Two to two, equal to both the teams. B. Three to one in Mickey's team's favor.
C. Two to one in the opposite team's favor. D. Everybody won because of Mickey's goal.
62. The underlined word "hush" in paragraph 3 means
A. cheer B. cry C. laughter D. silence
63. What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A. The result of the match would fail his son.
B. His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C. Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D. His son would understand Mickey's wrong goal.
64. It can be inferred(推断出) from the passage that ________.
A. both teams liked and respected Mickey
B. both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal
C. Mickey didn't mind though his goal was wrong
D. Mickey was a kind- hearted boy and hoped everybody won
65. The purpose of the author in writing the passage is ________.
A. to tell a joke to make readers laugh
B. to suggest we should not mind losing
C. to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D. to present his son's fine qualities of understanding others
.Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn't matter where you live--in the middle of a modern city, or a faraway village--the chances are that you' 11 be disturbed by jet planes, transistor radios, oil - powered engines, etc. We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they' re working.
Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be a very frightening experience for a human being. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums(耳鼓). The noise level in some discos is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.
One recent report about noise and concentration(专心) suggested that although a lot of people say that any noise disturbs their concentration, what really influences their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise which doesn't change too much(music, for example) may even help people to concentrate.
56. According to this passage, the noise pollution __
A. has become the worst in the countryside B. has become better in big cities
C. has spread from cities to villages D. has been controlled in modern cities
57. What does background music refer to?
A. Music played while people are working.
B. Music played in the backyard.
C. Noise that continues while you' re listening to other noises.
D. Music used to help people to concentrate.
58. Some people have their hearing harmed __
A. while listening to pop music
B. in complete silence
C. when speaking loudly D. while watching TV
59. Which of the following isn't included among the things causing noise?
A. trucks B. motorcycles C. electric engines D. jet planes
60. Scientists have discovered that what prevents people from concentrating on something is
A. all kinds of noise B. great changes in the level of noise
C. background noiseD. popular music