In many countries, schools have long summer holidays, with shorter holidays in between.However, a new report suggests shortening school holidays to stop children forgetting what they have learnt during the long summer break.Instead of three school terms, it says, there should be five eight-week terms.And there should be just four weeks off in the summer, with a two-week break between the other terms.
Sonia Montero has two children at primary school and works full-time.She supports the idea.“The kids,” she says, “ have much longer holidays then and I can’t afford to take several weeks off work, so I need someone to take care of them.But nobody wants the work in the summer holidays — they all have holidays of their own.
Not surprisingly, some young people disagree.Student Jason Panos says , “It’s a stupid idea.I would hate staying at school in the summer.It’s unfair, too.The people who suggest this had long school holidays when they were young, but now they want to stop us enjoying the summer.The kids in Spain and American have much longer holidays than here, but they don’t forget everything they’ve learnt in a few months.”
Nadia Salib agrees.“Sure,” she says, “the first week at school after the summer is never easy, but you soon get back into it.The real problem round here is that kids get bored after so many weeks out of school, and then some of them start causing trouble.But the answer is to give them something to do, not make everyone stay in school longer.”Why is Sonia in support of shorter school holidays?
| A．She doesn’t get any summer holidays in her jobs. |
| B．She is worried that her children will forget what they’ve learnt. |
| C．She can’t afford to pay someone to look after her children. |
| D．She can’t get anyone to look after her children in summer. |
What does Jason say about long summer holidays?
| A．They can help children forget about school. |
| B．Schools in other countries don’t have long holidays. |
| C．These days many older people suggest having long holidays. |
| D．They do no harm to children’s education. |
What does Nadia say about young people on summer holidays?
| A．They would like to spend more time at school. |
| B．Long holidays are very bad for their education. |
| C．They need something to do to enrich themselves. |
| D．Long holidays should be shortened to stop them causing trouble. |
Which of the following statements best explains the text?
| A．It has been decided that summer holidays should be shortened. |
| B．Students are angry that school holidays have been changed. |
| C．Not everyone agrees to change school holidays. |
| D．Teenagers are worried about that they will be busy during summer holidays. |
Climate change，pollution，overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze．India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile．WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”，the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic（水生的）life．
“If these rivers die，millions will lose their livelihoods，biodiversity（生物多样性）will be destroyed on a massive scale，there will be less fresh water and agriculture，resulting in less food security，”said．Rayi Singh，secretary—general of WWF—India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today，also cited the Rio Grande in the United States，the Mekong and Indus in Asia，Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray—Darling as in need of greater protection．
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains．while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them，the report said．Fish populations，the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide，are also being threatened, it found．．The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization，damming and huge influxes（流入）of sediment（积淀）from land conversion．
Climate change，including higher temperatures，also means serious consequences for fishery productivity，water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries（支流）flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation，WWF said．hat is the text mainly about?
| A．Saving fresh water in our life． | B．How to protect our rivers． |
| C．An important discovery． | D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk． |
We can infer from the text that _____．
| A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security |
| B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage |
| C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries |
| D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity |
The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．climate change | B．wasting water | C．pollution | D．dams |
WWF is probably a name of _____．
| A．an organization | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine | D．a report |
Now, it’s time for some brief news items.
Teens Go Online
Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids spend on line and keep them away from chat rooms.
Chat to the magic Mum
British author J. K. Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.
School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas (睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra (代数), American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.In the first news item, which country is NOT covered in the research?
| A．Britain. | B．France. | C．Sweden. | D．Spain. |
What is the second news item mainly about?
| A．J. K. Rowling will have an Internet interview. |
| B．Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother. |
| C．The Harry Potter book will be available on the Internet. |
| D．The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June. |
Why will Russian school students have basic military training?
| A．To get ready for a military parade. |
| B．To learn to protect themselves. |
| C．To gain some military knowledge. |
| D．To develop their love for the country. |
The news from Florida can be given a title “____________”.
| A．Get up Late | B．Online School | C．Magical Computers | D．No Teachers |
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声)．It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side．
We were both in great anger．“Never set foot in this house again!” stormed Father．With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street．
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的)．I wandered aimlessly．
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious．
But now… I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old．We differ in our ways of thinking．He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me．Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened．
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company．When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on．
In fact, it was nothing．Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的) words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers．”
All the lights were off except father’s．
Dad was always like this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret．After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers．
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature．
The light was still on．“Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last, I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all．Love – is second to none．Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage．
a．I opened the door and entered the house．
b．Sadly I ran out into the street．
c．I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit．
d．I thought of my father’s kindness towards me．
e．I walked about in the street without any aim．
| A．b, e, d, c, a | B．b, e, c, d, a | C．b, e, a, c, d | D．b, e, c, a, d |
What made the writer think of his childhood?
| A．The sight of the desolate street lights． |
| B．The sight of the empty street． |
| C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms． |
| D．The sight of light in his own house． |
Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?
| A．Perhaps the father is getting older and older． |
| B．Perhaps the son has already grown up． |
| C．Perhaps they never agree with each other． |
| D．Perhaps the father has got used to doing that． |
What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?
| A．The father is actually kind to his son． |
| B．The father treats his son in an unfair way． |
| C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son． |
| D．The father is always finding fault with his son． |
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the Earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?What is mainly described in the passage?
| A．A historic discovery. | B．An event of imagination. |
| C．A research on space. | D．A scientific adventure. |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes .
| A．an earthquake | B．damages to cities |
| C．an Earth explosion | D．huge waves |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?
| A．Because the land is covered with water. |
| B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the Earth. |
| C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero. |
| D．Because wars break out among countries. |
By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove .
| A．animals could not live in the cold climate |
| B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story |
| C．the human beings will die out in 2094 |
| D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |
Researchers in London and Bristol have found that men are particularly likely to yield to depression if their partners are also depressed.
The finding highlights the importance of paying attention to the partners of depressed mothers, as young children themselves are vulnerable (容易受伤的) to social problems if both parents are depressed.
Researchers in London and at the University of Bristol launched their study to investigatewhether family structure affects the likelihood of depression in men around the time their child isborn. They looked at men from traditional families, men with children from a previous relationship, men whose partners had children by a former partner, and men who were not living with their partners.
All 7,108 participants filled out a questionnaire on depression, and answered questions about their age, education level and employment status. Details about the quality of their relationships with their partners, networks of friends and previous life events were also recorded.
About 3.5 percent of the men and 13 percent of their partners suffered depression around the time their child was born. While men in stepfamilies or who were not living with their partners were twice as likely to get depressed as those in traditional families, this could be explained by other factors that are more common in nontraditional families, such as poor education and relationship conflicts.
Even allowing for all these factors, however, the partners of women who were suffering from prenatal (围产期的) depression were significantly more likely to become depressed themselves, the researchers report in an American journal. Ten percent of women who were depressed had depressed partners. For the healthy women, the figure was only 2.6 percent.
Previous research suggests that families with two depressed parents may need special attention. A researcher in Atlanta has found that primary school children with two troubled parents have difficulty relating to their peers. “It’s extremely important to look at the whole family.” she says.What can we conclude from the first two paragraphs of this passage?
| A．Men often beat their children. |
| B．Depressed women often have depressed partners. |
| C．All young children are vulnerable to social problems. |
| D．Women with children often have depressed partners. |
Why did researchers in London and Bristol carry out such an investigation?
| A．To see what kind of family environment is ideal for children to grow up in. |
| B．To study whether family structure affects depression in men when their child is born. |
| C．To investigate why so many men get depressed when a child is born. |
| D．To see whether it is true that behind every depressed man there is a depressed woman. |
What kind of men is least likely to get depressed when their child was born?
| A．Men in stepfamilies. |
| B．Men who were not living with their partners. |
| C．Men in traditional families. |
| D．Men in nontraditional families. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Ten percent of women who were depressed had depressed partners. |
| B．2.6 percent of healthy women were depressed. |
| C．Special attention should be paid to families in which both the father and the mother were depressed. |
| D．Primary school children whose parents were both depressed couldn’t get along well withtheir peers. |