Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning set-back. Put simply, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight. Recent studies show that children gain weight more quickly in the summer than when they are in school.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school.
Last year, a study at Ohio State University reported that year-round students did not learn any more than other students. Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. Research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school. They said it created an image of children being forced to do work they missed during the school year. The parents welcomed other terms like " summer camp " ，" enrichment " ，" extra time " and " hands-on learning " . It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that _________.
| A．the educators in the US don't like long summer holiday |
| B．the students in the US learn nothing during their summer vacation |
| C．it's good for the students' health to spend long holiday |
| D．students are not ready to learn during the holiday by them-selves |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．A student in a traditional nine-month school is fatter than one in a year-round school. |
| B．Most American schools make use of a year-round calendar. |
| C．The traditional nine-month calendar has an advantage be-cause they have more class days. |
| D．Students following a traditional nine-month calendar has at least 3 long holidays. |
At the beginning of a new term, students from poor families—_________
| A．are fatter than those from rich families |
| B．have a more serious summer learning gap than those from rich families |
| C．learn more knowledge than those from a year-round school |
| D．make more progress than those from a traditional nine-month calendar school |
This passage mainly tells us _________.
| A．the American summer schools |
| B．to mind the summer learning gap |
| C．how to lose weight during the summer vacation |
| D．schools and local governments should offer programs to help students from poor families |
China’s new buzzword, tuhao, may be in next year’s Oxford English Dictionary.
“If its influence continues, it is very likely to appear on our updated list of words, ” said Julie Kleeman, project manager with the editing team.
In Chinese, tu means uncouth(粗野的) and hao means rich. It has traditionally been referred to rich people who throw their weight around in China’s rural areas. In recent years, people borrowed the term to describe those who spend money in an unreasonable manner. The word gained acceptance in September with the launch(上市) of Apple’s new gold-colored iPhone, an item loved by China’s rich people. The color became known as “tuhao gold”. The word is now often used by the online community to refer to people who have the cash but lack the class to go with it.
Kleeman also mentioned two other Chinese words—dama and hukou—which may also be taken in the dictionary. Hukou means household registration(登记) in Chinese and has been widely used.
Dama, meaning middle-aged women, was first used in the Western media by the Wall Street Journal in May when thousands of Chinese women were buying up record number of gold. They were the driving force in the global gold market between April and June when the gold prices had gone down.
“We have nearly 120 Chinese-linked words now in Oxford English Dictionary, ” she said. Some of them are: Guanxi, literally meaning “connection”, is the system of social networks and influential relationships which promote business and other dealings. Taikonaut is a mix of taikong, meaning outer space, and astronaut.
The new words will be first uploaded on the official website before the dictionaries arrive. The online version is also renewed every three months. “It at least broke our old rules. It used to take 10 years to include a new word but now we keep the pace with the era, ” according to John Simpson.What does “Tuhao” mean now?
| A．The rich who like iPhone made of gold. |
| B．The people who have power in the countryside. |
| C．The people who spend money reasonably. |
| D．The rich who find no class to belong to. |
Why is the word “Dama” popular now?
| A．They bought gold in the global market. |
| B．They are wealthy middle-aged women. |
| C．They brought the gold prices down. |
| D．They worked on the Wall Street. |
According to John, the Oxford English Dictionary__________.
| A．updates its new version every three months |
| B．takes 10 years to include a new word now |
| C．speeds up its acceptance of new words |
| D．has its online version to collect new words |
A Guide to the University
Food
The TWU Cafeteria is open 7a.m. to 8p.m.. It serves snacks, drinks, ice cream bars and meals. You can pay with cash or your ID cards. You can add meal money to your ID cards at the Front Desk. Even if you do not buy your food in the cafeteria, you can use the tables to eat your lunch, to have meetings and to study.
If you are on campus in the evening or late at night, you can buy snacks, fast food, and drinks in the Lower Café located in the bottom level of the Douglas Centre. This area is often used for entertainment such as concerts, games or TV watching.
Relaxation
The Globe, located in the bottom level of McMillan Hall, is available for relaxing, studying, cooking, and eating. Monthly activities are held here for all international students. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed on Sundays.
Health
Located on the top floor of Douglas Hall, the Wellness Centre is committed to(致力于) physical, emotional and social health. A doctor and nurse is available if you have health questions or need immediate medical help or personal advice. The cost of this is included in your medical insurance. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m..
Academic Support
All students have access to the Writing Centre on the upper floor of Douglas Hall. Here, qualified volunteers will work with you on written work, grammar, vocabulary, and other academic skills. You can sign up for an appointment on the sign-up sheet outside the door: two 30 –minute appointments per week maximum. This service is free.What can you do in the TWU Cafeteria?
| A．Do homework and watch TV. |
| B．Buy drinks and enjoy concerts. |
| C．Have meals and meet with friends. |
| D．Add money to your ID and play chess. |
Where and when can you cook your own food?
| A．The Globe, Friday. | B．The Lower Café, Sunday. |
| C．The TWU Cafeteria, Friday. | D．The McMillan Hall, Sunday. |
The Guide tells us that the Wellness Centre _________.
| A．is open six days a week |
| B．offers services free of charge |
| C．trains students in medical care |
| D．gives advice on mental health |
How can you seek help from the Writing Centre?
| A．By applying online. |
| B．By calling the centre. |
| C．By filling in a sign-up form. |
| D．By going to the centre directly. |
Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ballgame, come back three and a half hours later, and they’re still sitting on the sofa? Talking?
What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about?
Betty shrugs, Talk? We’re friends.
Researching this result called friendship, psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men. No matter what their age, their job, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is “marked and unmistakable”.
More than two-thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed would not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman. Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, and almost always it was a woman. More married men than women named their wife/husband as a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress（感情危机）. “Most women,” says Rubin, “identified at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a trouble moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives.”
“In general,” writes Rubin in her new book, “women’s friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men’s relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part, Rubin says, interactions（交往）between men are emotionally controlled—a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior”.
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend,” Rubin writes, “the two share little about their innermost feelings. However, a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage; it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on a sofa.”What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that __________.
| A．he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband |
| B．women have so much to share |
| C．women show little interest in ballgames |
| D．he finds his wife difficult to talk to |
Rubin’s study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to __________.
| A．a male friend | B．a female friend |
| C．her parents | D．her husband |
According to the text, which type of behavior is NOT expected of a man by society?
| A．Ending his marriage without good reason. |
| B．Spending too much time with his friends. |
| C．Complaining about his marriage trouble. |
| D．Going out to ballgames too often. |
Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph?
| A．Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves. |
| B．Women are more serious than men about marriage. |
| C．Men often take sudden action to end their marriage. |
| D．Women depend on others in making decisions. |
World Reading Day was set up by the UNESCO in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor great writers, for example, William Shakespeare, born or dead on that day.
Many countries celebrated World Reading Day. Take the UK as an example, on that day, millions of schoolchildren can buy book of special price, a much lower price than usual, in any bookstore. It has been done every year since 1998. World Reading Day 2010 in the UK will take place on Thursday 4th March. Please note that this date applies to the UK and Ireland only. The goal is so well set in schools there that they want to make sure that the Day happens in term time to really make the most of this opportunity to celebrate books and reading. Most other countries hold World Reading Day on 23 rd April every year.
World Reading Day is also celebrated in China. Chinese former premier Wen Jiabao, an avid reader, does lots of reading every day though he is very busy. On World Reading Day 2009 he encouraged citizens to do more reading. Wen suggested that young people should spend more time reading. “Books cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading.”
Reading can benefit people a lot. Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English.
“Reading makes a full man.” (Bacon, 1597) Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day.Which of the following statements about World Reading Day is TURE?
| A．It was set up to encourage people to learn English. |
| B．China also celebrates it on 4th March every year. |
| C．It is also the same day as some great writers were born or dead. |
| D．Only since 1998 has the UK begun to celebrate it. |
An avid reader is a person who________.
| A．loves reading | B．never reads |
| C．does little reading | D．hates reading |
According to the passage, reading can help people EXCEPT________.
| A．learn a foreign language better |
| B．know more about culture |
| C．improve their memory greatly |
| D．know more about the outside world |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．World Reading Day in the UK. |
| B．Reading makes a full man. |
| C．World Reading Day in China. |
| D．World Reading Day and Reading. |
An English saying goes: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” That means we should relax after a day’s hard work or we’ll be unhealthy.
Many students know that if they want to get ideal jobs with good salaries, they must do well in high school so they can enter good universities. Therefore, they spend all day studying without time to relax.
However, not all students can go to top universities even if they work very hard. Students are pressurized by parents and teachers who are just concerned about their studies and exam scores while ignoring their hobbies and individual differences. As a result, students are forces to work harder and harder. Furthermore, there is pressure coming from students themselves. They realize they have a slim chance of getting into a top university as competition is fierce. So, they put a lot of stress on themselves and stay in a nervous state day after day. If they keep it up, they’ll suffer illnesses; both psychological and physical.
What students need is relaxation. This doesn’t mean that they should give up their ambitions and stop studying hard. It means “work while you work, play while you play”. If you can do this, you will improve your health greatly. You’ll feel yourself suddenly fresh, just like recovering from a terrible illness. You’ll find that your studies are not a burden anymore.The underlined part in the first paragraph might mean all the following EXCEPT______.
| A．too much work may bring trouble to anyone |
| B．overwork without rest is sure to make one foolish |
| C．Jack becomes dull because he works too much |
| D．Anyone who doesn’t work will break down |
What trouble have both the parents and teachers brought to the students?
| A．They don’t know how to let the students relax. |
| B．They give too much burden for them to bear. |
| C．They don’t love those who work the hardest. |
| D．They fail to understand what the students need most. |
What causes the student’ pressure from themselves?
| A．That they don’t know how to get top universities. |
| B．That they want to relax but have no chance. |
| C．That they fail to relax themselves during their work. |
| D．That they think too much about the result of their work. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．What to do to relax yourself. |
| B．The serous situation for the poor students. |
| C．Some problems caused by the misunderstanding of learning. |
| D．How to be a healthy and successful learner. |