High school graduation—the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago.
As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys—a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school. There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother’s idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would subtly ask whether I had considered particular schools—all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established that, as long as the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget, I would be going away anyway, my family’s perspective changed. Their concern shifted from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California. But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I be unbearably lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school? Would the other students like me? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn’t be able to stand it? And what about the work—would I be able to keep up? (Being an A student in high school seemed to offer little assurance I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I selected turned out to be a horrible mistake? Would I be able to transfer to another school?
Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn’t want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn’t enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung of the ladder again.
Despite months of expectation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar melody of “Pomp and Circumstance” echoed in the background, I looked around at the other figures in white caps and gowns as we seriously lined into the hall. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was consumed by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze（恍惚）, I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma. As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn’t easy saying good-bye to the old one—the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn’t particularly fond of and the long travel each day between home and school that I hated. Good or bad, it was what I knew.
That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn’t have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today. Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors for good. Although going back is impossible, it’s comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time. In this article the author mainly describes ________.
| A．the great excitement during the months leading up to the big event—the graduation ceremony |
| B．her mixed feelings during the months leading towards graduation and on the actual graduation day |
| C．her happiness to be admitted to a wonderful university |
| D．her eagerness to go to a wonderful university far away from home |
The author’s mother ________.
| A．did not care very much which college her daughter went to |
| B．was greatly disappointed at her decision to go to a college on the East Coast |
| C．willingly allowed her to go to a college of her own choice |
| D．wished that she would study at a college or university close to home |
Expectation and excitement suddenly changed into anxiety and fear. Which of the following did the author NOT include as a reason for that change?
| A．Growing homesick might seriously affect her academic performance at college. |
| B．She might make a wrong choice and enter a university she did not like at all. |
| C．Her being a top student at high school did not mean a successful academic career for her. |
| D．It might be hard for her to make friends under new circumstances. |
On the actual graduation day, ________.
| A．the familiar tune “Pomp and Circumstance” brought tears to her eyes |
| B．she went through the whole ceremony in a daze |
| C．she came to realize that she had a passion for her old school |
| D．reaching out for diploma, she was aware of a new stage in life ahead of her |
The author adopts a(n)________ tone in writing this article.
| A．matter-of-fact | B．serious |
| C．emotional | D．indifferent |
Tired of telling students to ask questions and to think about what they were doing, Damien Hynes, a high school geography teacher in Australia, decided to do an experiment to test what he had long been thinking．He wrote some well-organized nonsense （something untrue） on the blackboard．The students simply copied it but very few asked any questions．This shows that students are willing to believe anything given by teachers．The story is repeated in support of the Project for Enhancing Effective Learning （PEEL）．
PEEL was carried out by some teachers and researchers in Melbourne who had concluded that normal teaching methods seldom achieve their intended goals; what the teachers think they are teaching is one thing and what the students actually learn is something else．Students’ lack of an over-all view of learning goals and their concentration on test scores make them see each lesson as a separate activity．
Researchers realized that many students do not come into class empty-headed but have their own explanations of how the world works．Their own ideas can remain important to them even when they differ from scientific explanations that are learned later．In fact such ideas are hardly affected by traditional teaching．Students accept the teacher’s scientific explanation, but do not drop their own．They simply keep both and use them practically: in a class test, they copy the teacher’s idea, but in real life they use their own．
Clearly what was needed was to make students understand their learning process（过程）, and this is what the PEEL teachers set out to deal with．On the surface,（表面） a class being taught by PEEL methods only differs from an ordinary class in being a little noisier, because more people are talking．But there are some meaningful changes．Students are given much more time to express their views, and teachers don’t make immediate judgment．The students are allowed to guide what is done in class and their own ideas are always respected．This draws their attention to the actual learning process, and they become responsible for their own progress．The aim of Hynes’ experiment was to ______．
| A．show that students didn’t think about what they learnt |
| B．prove the effectiveness of the project known as PEEL |
| C．test students’ general knowledge about geography |
| D．encourage students to ask more questions in class |
Why did some teachers and researchers carry out PEEL?
| A．To ensure teachers do scientific work． |
| B．To help students get higher test scores． |
| C．To find the differences between what is taught and learnt． |
| D．To help normal teaching methods achieve their goals． |
An important difference between PEEL and non-PEEL classes is that in the PEEL classes ______．
| A．the teacher does not give the usual scientific explanations |
| B．students always have their own knowledge of the subject |
| C．more attention is paid to the students’ own ideas |
| D．the best explanations are given by the students |
What is Damien Hynes？
| A．He is a teacher who teaches geography in a high school in Australia |
| B．He is a geography teacher and a researcher in Australia |
| C．He is a teacher teaching geography in a high school in Austria |
| D．He is a high school geography teacher in Austria． |
This is time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents．Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help．
Littleton Children’s Home
We don’t want your money, but children’s toys, books and clothes in good condition would be very welcome．
Also, we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests．You have so much—will you share it?
Phone Sister Thomas on 55671．
Children’s Hospice
We look after a small number of very sick children．This important work needs skill and love．We cannot continue without gifts of money to pay for more nursing staff．We also need story books and toys suitable for quiet games．
Please contact The Secretary, Little Children’s Hospice, Newby Road．
Street Food
In the winter weather, it’s no fun being homeless．It’s even worse if you’re hungry．We give hot food to at least fifty people every night．It’s hard work, but necessary．Can you come and help? If not, can you find a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we badly need some new saucepans．Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed．
Contact Street Food, c/o Mary’s House, Elming Way, Littleton．Phone 27713．
Littleton Youth Club
Have you got an unwanted chair?—a record player?—a pot of paint?
Because we can use them!
We want to get to work on our meeting room!
Please phone 66231 and we’ll be happy to collect anything you can give us．
Thank you!
The Night Shelter
We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go．We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street．Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money．Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help．
Send it to us at 15, Green St, Littleton．Please make check payable to Night Shelter．Reading the passage, you might like to help these organizations which work for
| A．homeless and sick children |
| B．less fortunate members of our society |
| C．hungry people who have no beds to sleep in |
| D．friendly members of our society to help others |
We can infer that．
| A．there are too many social problems in this country |
| B．people are very poor during the time for giving presents |
| C．warm-hearted people like to give away money |
| D．this passage is taken from a local newspaper |
If your child has grown up, you may take the child’s things to．
| A．Children’s Home and Children’s Hospice |
| B．Youth Club and Children’s Home |
| C．Children’s Hospice and Night Shelter |
| D．Youth Club and Night Shelter |
Sarah Williams went to a boarding school．Here is one of the letters she wrote to her parents from the school:
Wentworth Girls’ school
Beachside
July 20th
Dearest Mom and Dad,
I’m afraid I have some very surprising news for you．I have been very naughty and the school headmaster is very angry with me．She is going to write to you．You must come and take me away from here．She does not want me in the school any longer．
The trouble started last night when I was smoking in bed．This is against the rules, of course．We are not supposed to smoke at all．
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room．I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away．
Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire．
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too．Soon the whole room was burning．
The headmaster phoned the fire department．The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was on fire．Many of the girls are in hospital．
The headmaster says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage．She will send you a bill for about a million dollars．
I’m very sorry about this．
Much love,
Sarah
P．S．None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams．I just want you to know how bad things could have been．Why did Sarah tell her parents the story about the fire?
| A．She wanted to worry them |
| B．She wanted to make them laugh |
| C．She wanted to make them less angry at the real news |
| D．She wanted to warn them about what the headmaster was going to do |
The letter before the P．S．was __________．
| A．mostly true | B．partly true |
| C．all true | D．completely untrue |
Sarah said the headmaster was angry because________
| A．she had failed her exams | B．it was her fault that had caused the fire |
| C．he had not made the phone call in time | D．she had been caught smoking in bed |
Labor force is defined as being the total number of people who are available to work and earn income. This definition includes everyone who is employed or seeking paid employment, so it includes employers and the self-employed. Labor is one of the country's resources which can be combined with other resources to produce the goods and services wanted by the community.
Although the size of the workforce depends a great deal on the size of the total population, there are several other influences which also affect it. The age distribution (分布) of the total population has a very marked effect on the available workforce. If the population has a high proportion of very young people or of those too old to work, then the available workforce would be lower than if there were a balanced spread age distribution. If the population naturally grows rapidly, the number of births greatly exceeds (超出) the number of deaths then as a total population increases proportion of the workforce declines.
Sometimes a po
pulation is described as aging which means that the birth rate is either falling or growing very slowly, and as people retire from the workforce there are insufficient numbers of young people entering it to replace those who are leaving it. In that situation the population is top-heavy with older people. So the percentage of the population in the workforce declines when there is either a rapid increase in births or a falling birth rate.
The age distribution of the population has several important effects on the economy. If the population is aging and there is an increase in the number of people retiring without a corresponding increase in the number entering the workforce, this raises the problem of the ability of the economy to provide a reasonable level of social services to the retired group. If the aged are to be cared for in special homes, finance must be available for that purpose. If the size of the workforce is small relative to the total population, then the government tax revenue (税收) is relatively low and either the government has less money available to it or the workforce members have to be taxed more heavily. In the passage “labor
force” is defined as ___________.
| A．people who are available to work and earn income |
| B．self-employed people only |
| C．people who are looking for an employment |
| D．employers who create job opportunities |
The conclusion which can be drawn from the second paragraph is that___________.
| A．a natural growth of population leads to a balanced workforce |
| B．a large population does not necessarily mean a higher proportion of workforce |
| C．the larger the population, the higher the proportion of the workforce |
| D．the workforce will be lower, if the population has a balanced age distribution， |
When a population is said to be aging，___________.
| A．there are more people retiring than those entering the workforce |
| B．the birth rate must be growing |
| C．there should be an oversupply of workforce |
| D．There are more people entering the workforce than those retiring |
The population which is top-heavy with older people ___________ of a country.
| A．leads to the high rate of unemployment |
| B．results in low tax on the workforce members |
| C．affects employees’ incomes |
| D．places pressure on the economy |
Children of all ages love birthday parties at the Staten Island Zoo. Where else can you invite real party animals to join in the fun?
Who is invited?
Parties at the Staten Island Zoo are designed for children who are turning 4 years old and older, with a maximum group size of 15 children and 4 adults．Along with your human guests，2-3 live animals will also be invited into your party room. No need for more introductions. By the end of your party, our teachers will make sure everyone is well familiar with their new scaly(有鳞的)，feathery or furry friends．
What is included?
Each party lasts an hour and a half (two hours if pizza is included) and includes live animal demonstration，games or stories，and animal skills．Each member will receive a goodie bag to take home for fun. Besides, birthday invitations will be given to you for giving to your guests．
Birthday party themes
Choose from four different themes：
Animal Tracks
Discover different types of animal’s feet and their purpose．Track some animals and then make a take home plaster mold(石膏模型)．
African Savannah
Join in the fun at exploring the mysteries of the African Savannah．Learn about favorite foods of the Savannah’s people and make an animal mask to enjoy the fun．
Tropical Rainforest
Listen to the sounds of the jungle and find where the animals live．Create a colorful rainforest bird.
Barnyard Friends
Stories, games, activities and crafts will all focus on the differences between wild and domestic animals．Make a small bookmark to use at home．
Costs
Pizza，ice cream cake，juice and party (includes cutlery, paper plates, cups and napkins) --- $370 Staten Island Zoo members／$400 non．Members．
Party only --- $250 Staten Island Zoo members／$275 non．Members What’s special about the birthday parties at the Staten Island Zoo?
| A．There are 19 people in one party at least． |
| B．Parties are intended for those who are just 4 years old． |
C．It is necessary to introduce the s trangers at the parties． |
| D．Live animals will take part in the birthday parties． |
If you choose a theme of Tropical Rainforest，what kind of works of art can you make?
| A．A take-home plaster mold． | B．A colorful rainforest bird． |
| C．An animal mask． | D．A small bookmark to use at home． |
A non-member who only plans to hold a party at the Staten Island Zoo should pay______.
| A．$250 | B．$275 | C．$370 | D．$400 |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．All birthday parties last one and a half hours． |
| B．We should buy birthday invitations for our guest at the zoo． |
| C．Animals will make a performance at the party． |
| D．Any party member will be given a bag to store rubbish at the party． |