In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.
That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.
Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expection are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.【改编】The reason why Tom decides to spend his senior year in Poland is that _______.
| A．there are evident differences between the two countries |
| B．Polish kids are better at learning |
| C．he plans to improve his scores |
| D．sports are not supported at schools in Gettysburg |
According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.
| A．little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools |
| B．too much importance is placed on sports in America |
| C．American high schools complain about sports time |
| D．PISA plays a very important role in America |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot |
| B．high expectations push up American students’ academic performance |
| C．lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance |
| D．low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance |
【改编】What is the main purpose of this article ?_______.
| A．push public attention to a weakness in American school tradition |
| B．Appeal to American schools to learn from the Polish model |
| C．compare Polish schools with those in America |
| D．explain what is the matter with American schools and provide solutions |
The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan! We’re friends.” “I’d rather pay,” I replied. “If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”
Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!
According to the Americans “There’s no free lunch.” meaning, there’s a price for everything, and I’m always looking around to figure out what this means.
Many of our neighbors have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return. For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him. “Wait until you have something major to fix!” he insists.
I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind (磨) flour for bread. A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granting (花岗石).
Chinese generosity is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements (纠纷) and just hand over the money. But cash can’t compensate (补偿) for the greatest gift—friendship.
When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do.” “Actually,” I said, “they are professors, with plenty of to do. But probably you’re right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do. And neither do I”
And I joined the group. We chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived. One man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here. Now they’re taller than you. How time flies!”
How time flies. And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know, which they cannot keep. They freely give off their time, never too busy to help a friend. And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive.
So the next time someone says, “No charge. We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily. But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch.
69.Why did the author insist paying the repairman when he was offered free repairs?
A. Because he was an upright (正直的) man.
B. Because he didn’t know the repairman.
C. Because he thought it natural to pay for others’ service.
D. Because he didn’t want to help others in return.
70. Generally, the author thinks that _____ .
A. Chinese are generous and always ready to help their friends
B. Chinese are good at exchange of equal values
C. Chinese are free enough to drink tea and chat with their friends
D. Chinese are helpful but don’t treasure time
71. The best title of the article should be _____ .
A. Still no free lunch
B. A good lesson from the Chinese
C. True help or not
D. Learn to both give and receive
72. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Chinese seldom refuse payment for professional services.
B. When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself
C. The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy their life.
D. Finally, the author changed his mind and decided to do as the Chinese do.
I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband．I have tried to make marriage vows（誓约）mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I wanted to tell you today：Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion（提升）, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this：Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live with joy and passion（激情）as it ought to be lived.
64 The best title of this passage probably is ________.
A．Love your friends. B．Live a real life.
C．Don’t waste time. D．Be a good mother and wife.
65 How did the author form her view of life?
A．Through social experience. B．By learning from her friends.
C．Through an unfortunate experience. D．From her children and husband.
66 By the underlined sentence “It is so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means _______.
A．make a living rather than live a real life.
B．work rather than enjoy life
C．waste a lot in life
D．forget the most important lessons in life
67 What’s the author’s attitude toward work?
A．Do it well to serve others
B．To earn enough money to make life better.
C．Try your best to get higher position and pay.
D．Don’t let it affect your real life.
68 It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A．the author is a success in personal life.
B．the author doesn’t try her best to work well
C．the author spends all her time caring for her children
D．the author likes traveling very much
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of a lift operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian(百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect higher quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform.
What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a hairdresser, or a waiter to lose professional identity（职业身份） than to step out of uniform?
Primary among the argument against uniforms in their lack of variety and the loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they are likely to think ,speak, and act similarly on the job at least. Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes, Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain , requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with types of civilian clothes.
60 People are likely to think that a man in uniform_________.
A. suggests quality work
B. shows his social position
C. appears to be more practical
D. looks more fresh and attractive
61 Those who are against uniforms believe that people wearing uniforms_________.
A. are usually helpful B. have little freedom
C. lose personal character D. enjoy greater popularity
62 It can be concluded from the passage that_________.
A. people generally trust a person in uniform
B.people enjoy wearing comfortable uniform
C.the cost of the uniform is acceptable to people
D.people wear uniforms to show their professions
63 The underlined sentence tells us that_________.
A. it’s impossible that people can be recognized more easily by their uniforms
B.people’s identity can be recognized more easily by their uniforms
C.nurses and policemen must wear uniforms when working
D.people in those professions act in an easier way without uniforms
第三部分:阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列5篇短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Port Regis well situated for exploring the beautiful South and West of England and Wales.
The school has excellent hotels and guest houses nearby for parents who are dropping off or collecting their children from the school.
Please note:
All students attending English Country Schools must live in the appointed(指定) place.
We do not advise that parents live locally while their child is at school. Experience suggests that this often upsets the child and disturbs progress.
Howard’s House County Hotel & Restaurant
About 15 minutes from Port Regis School, Howard’s House is set in large gardens hidden in the quietness of the lovely Nadder Valley.
Plumber Manor
Plumber Manor is a comfortable manor house built of local stones, situated about 20 minutes from Port Regis School. The 17th century house is mounded by lawns and is set in quiet Dorset countryside. The steam turns through the grounds.
Woodville Farm Bed & Self-catering
Woodville Farm is a family-run farm set in the Dorset countryside about 5 minutes from Port Regis School. Bed and breakfast accommodation(膳宿): one double bedroom & one twin bedroom both with bathrooms, tea & coffee making facilities, color television &hairdryer. There is also a self-catering(自饮) 2-bedroom bungalow(平房) nearby.
Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant
Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant is a late Victorian building set in eleven acres of beautifully planned grounds on the borders of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. About 10 minutes from Port Regis School.
56 The passage is mainly written for____________.
A. students B.hotel managers C.parents D.country travelers
57 Parents are advised not to live locally when children are having classes because_______
A.children are not too excited to be with their parents
B.parents stay with their children for too long
C.their visit makes children uneasy about themselves
D.their stay there disturbs children’s studies
58 If you prefer to live in a stone house, which hotel would you choose?
A. Plumber Manor
B. Woodville Farm Bed & Self-catering
C. Howard’s House Country Hotel & Restaurant
D. Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant
59 Woodville Farm is different from other hotels in that___________.
A. it is hidden in a large garden
B. guests can cook their own food
C. it dates back to Victorian times
D. it has a very beautiful country scenery
The World Trade Organization came into existence in the 1990s. It operates a system of trade
rules. It serves as a place for nations to settle disagreements and negotiate agreements to reduce trade barriers. The newest of its 150 members, Vietnam, joined in January.
But the roots of the W.T.O. date back to World War Two and the years that followed. In 1944, the International Monetary(货币的) Conference agreed to create the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But they could not agree on an organization to deal with international trade.
Three years later, in 1947, twenty-three nations approved the General Agreement on Tariffs (关税)and Trade, or GATT. It was meant to be temporary. Trade negotiations under GATT were carried out in a series of talks called rounds. The first round lowered import taxes on one-fifth of world trade. Later rounds produced additional cuts, and negotiators added more issues.
The sixth round began in 1963. It was called the Kennedy Round after the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The results included an agreement against trade dumping. This is when one country sells a product in another country at an unfairly low price.
The eighth round of talks began in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1986. The Uruguay Round lasted almost twice as long as planned. In all, 123 nations took part in seven-and-a-half years of work. They set time limits for future negotiations. They also agreed to create a permanent system to settle trade disagreements.
In April of 1994, most of those123 nations signed an agreement. It replaced GATT with the World Trade Organization.
The W.T.O. launched a new round on development issues in Doha, Qatar, in November of 2001. These talks were supposed to end by January of 2005. But negotiators could not agree on issues involving agricultural protections. The current round has been suspended since last July.
71. The WTO got this name in the year _____.
A. 1947B. 1963C. 1986 D. 1994
72. Which of the following statements about GATT is NOT true?
A. It was set up after World War II.
B. It was first approved by less than 30 countries.
C. It was a branch of the World Bank.
D. It was meant to improve international trade.
73. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?
A. The founders wanted GATT to bring in money.
B. The founders didn’t expect GATT to last long.
C. GATT was ready to change its name at the very beginning.
D. GATT was open for more member countries.
74. What is one of the results of the Uruguay Round?
A. A permanent system was agreed on.
B. It lasted almost eight years.
C. More countries took part in it.
D. More disagreements than expected were settled.
75. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Why the WTO was Called GATT?B. WTO Talk Rounds Last Longer
C. A Brief Introduction to the WTOD. GATT or WTO? A Real Question