We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed—no examination is perfect—but to have tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in school or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency, the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them －a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defending of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation(声誉), unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have evensuggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computers.The word “favoritism” is used to describe the phenomenon that _____.
| A．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs |
| B．bright children also need certificates go get satisfying jobs. |
| C．poor children with certificates are favored in job markets |
| D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success |
What would happen if exams were taken away according to the author?
| A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation. |
| B．There would be more opportunities and excellence. |
| C．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation. |
| D．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools. |
The opponents of the examination system will agree that _____.
| A．computers should be selected to take over many jobs |
| B．jobs should not be assigned（分配）by systematic selection |
| C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standards |
| D．schools with academic subjects should be done away with |
The passage mainly focuses on _____.
| A．examination and equality | B．schools and certificates |
| C．opportunity and employment | D．standards and reputation |
Dear Editor,
Recent reports have indicated an additional 1, 400 Marines（海军陆战队）are being sent to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. This means it costs over $1 million annually on the ground over there. I do place a higher level of blame on the policymakers who send soldiers off to kill and be killed in the field. I think the human race needs to think more about killing.
One needs to do the introspection: “Are these wars JUST?” I believe that all of our wars since 1945 have been illegal, under international law as well. I suggest that all your readers examine their conscience（良心）as it relates to the matter of making war. The fact that many soldiers are motivated by a strong sense of duty does not give them some unqualified moral right to support these wars or any other. It’s responsible for all the troops, and the entire population, to determine whether the Afghan or Iraq wars are in accordance with （符合）the development of the state.
I wish someone would give me one or more logical reasons why we are still fighting in Afghanistan and what our goals are. I certainly don’t understand it and neither do many who are more knowledgeable than I.
Outsiders have tried unsuccessfully for centuries to conquer Afghanistan, and we seem to be no more successful. We are trying to develop a stable central government, but the country is badly divided into ethnic and tribal groups, and the current government is corrupt（腐败的）. Moreover, we are apparently regarded as undesirable occupiers by many of its people, most notably the Taliban.（塔利班）
If we are to continue spending billions every year in Afghanistan and killing hundreds of our people and many of theirs, our government must provide us with a reasonable explanation of why we are doing so and what we can expect to accomplish.
George MyersWhat caused the author to write the letter?
| A．His conscience of being a citizen. |
| B．Reports about sending soldiers to Afghanistan. |
| C．His relatives being killed in the war. |
| D．Getting no reasonable explanation. |
The underlined word “introspection” in the passage means .
| A．self-awareness | B．self-confidence |
| C．self-examination | D．self-defence |
The soldiers go to Afghanistan because .
| A．they can contribute to the development of America |
| B．they have the moral right to do so |
| C．they are performing their duty as a resident |
| D．they want to become heroes in the war |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Most people can’t understand why the States makes wars. |
| B．The U.S.A has developed a stable central government. |
| C．The Afghan considered Americans as undesirable occupiers |
| D．American government should make an explanation to the public. |
The pounding（重击声） was driving Edward crazy. A new neighbor had just moved into the apartment below him. The newcomer was deaf, or seemed to be, because he played his stereo（立体声音响）loud enough for the whole building to hear.
On the first day he heard the stereo rocking over, Edward marched downstairs and politely told the newcomer that his stereo was too loud. He asked the new tenant to turn the volume down and keep it down as long as he lived in the building. The tenant appeared surprised and embarrassed, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was that loud.”
So, Edward returned upstairs, feeling good, because he had taken a stand and politely let the newcomer know that loud music was not going to be tolerated. The next day all was quiet, and Edward continued to be pleased with himself. The following day, Edward thought it must be Fourth of July, because a marching band was playing on his street. In fact, it was the new neighbor who was playing his music loud again.
Edward was not one to repeat himself, feeling that each time you repeated yourself, you diminished the value of your words. So, he did what he always did with rude neighbors－grin（露齿而笑）and bear it. Eventually, they would move away. What else are you going to do?
In Los Angeles a year ago, a woman had complained to her upstairs neighbor that he was playing his drums too loud and too often. The drummer repeatedly ignored her. One day the woman walked upstairs and shot the drummer in the head and his girlfriend in the chest. The woman was sentenced to prison for 20 years.
The dead drummer won’t bother anyone with his drums, but the woman might be wishing now that she had learned to grin and bear it. If she were still living in her apartment, she could always move. When you’re in prison, you don’t have that option.The man living below where Edward lived was .
| A．a deaf man | B．the owner of the house |
| C．a tenant | D．an old neighbor |
What did Edward always do with rude neighbors?
| A．Grinning and bearing it. |
| B．Persuading them to stop repeatedly. |
| C．Shouting them to dead. |
| D．Moving away from the rude neighbors. |
The author writes the last paragraph to prove that .
| A．being in prison means the loss of freedom |
| B．grinning and bearing it is the best policy |
| C．Edward should follow the example of the woman |
| D．the woman was right to kill her neighbor |
The woman killed her neighbor because .
| A．he ignored her advice repeatedly |
| B．she could not stand his playing the music too loud |
| C．she could not put up with him any longer |
| D．he played the drums too often |
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples（订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
| A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag． |
| B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father． |
| C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things． |
| D．She enjoyed playing with her father． |
How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
| A．He kept it in the drawer． |
| B．He took it back home． |
| C．He threw it into the wastebasket． |
| D．He put it on his table． |
After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．
| A．regretful | B．surprised | C．sad | D．satisfied |
Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
| A．An important journey | B．Two bags |
| C．Father and daughter | D．Love in a paper bag |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to think for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we limit our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city center.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The reason why the author felt depressed is that_______.
| A．she was afraid she couldn’t finish her work on time |
| B．she spent too much time indoors in front of her computer |
| C．her every waking hour was consumed by the project |
| D．the project was very important to her |
In the author's opinion, _______.
| A．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
| B．depression is usually caused by hard work |
| C．walking in a busy city center harms people's health |
| D．a bath can make people relaxed |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) _______.
| A．explanation | B．warning |
| C．introduction | D．reminder |
You may never think a documentary film could have aroused so much public enthusiasm in Chinese history. Nowadays everybody is talking about a new 7-part documentary called A Bite of China which was recently broadcast late at night on CCTV I. The documentary describes various gourmet items across the vast Chinese culinary landscape.
According to Taobao, China’s biggest online retail website, just five days after the series began to air, nearly 6 million people went to the site in search of various local specialties, particularly those mentioned in the documentary. More than 7.2 million deals were concluded. A ham producer from Yunnan Province saw his sales grow 17-fold in five days.
However, one can’t help but believe that the documentary’s popularity is probably linked to the endless stream of terrible food security issues that have emerged in recent years. In one well-received article, a netizen wrote, “I wonder how many felt so empty-hearted and sighed after watching the film. Blue-vitriol watered chive, formaldehyde sprayed cabbage, Sudan Red colored salty eggs, restaurants using gutter oil. The list is long…”
How will a varied and ancient food culture that is famous worldwide and which should have made the Chinese proud end? Food is the most vital thing in people’s lives. Yet China’s food industry has made people a little worried due to some severe food safety crisis. The market is huge while the cost of faking and cheating is so low for immoral businessmen; and the punishment is too light. Take the milk industry as an example. Although Sanlu, the company that sold the melamine-adulterated milk powder, was punished, thousands of other dairies didn’t work hard to improve the quality. Therefore, food safety problems should be an important concern of Chinese government so that our ancient food culture can be preserved.
As the documentary shows, people are attracted not to gourmet items like matsutake, a species of rare mushroom grown naturally in remote forests, but to common Chinese dishes like barley, lotus root or tofu. They are what meet our basic needs. This explains why people are so excited about A Bite of China---it is a reminder that there is still a world out there where food is excellent and safe.The underlined word “gourmet items” probably means_______.
| A．delicious food | B．latest technology |
| C．beautiful clothes | D．great inventions |
The second paragraph mainly talks about_______.
| A．the content of the documentary |
| B．the producer of the documentary |
| C．the popularity of the documentary |
| D．the history of Chinese gourmet |
We can infer from what a netizen wrote in one well –received article that _______.
| A．the price of food is too high for many common people |
| B．the documentary was made by a world-famous Chinese director |
| C．there is a huge contrast between the ancient food culture and the reality |
| D．none of the television viewers have a knowledge of the Chinese food culture |
According to the passage, China’s food industry has a problem of faking and cheating because_______.
| A．there are still so many poor people at the present time |
| B．the punishment for unscrupulous businessmen isn’t serious enough |
| C．the Chinese government encourages it to do so |
| D．the food technology is not so advanced as in developing countries |