Picking a university is a tense period of asking yourself which institution is most relevant. That's why university rankings play such an important role in students searching for their next academic direction. Rankings are also an inescapable part of the reputation and brand image of universities. "No university website is complete without the claim to be in the top 100 for something or other," reported the BBC. The reason is simple: Rankings help them to attract students, staff and research investment.
Currently there are numbers of university rankings, and each has its own list of criteria. But the main categories are the same: academic reputation, graduates' performance and faculty(全体员工) resources.
However, experts point out the ranking process isn't entirely reliable. Mark Kantrowitz, a US financial aid researcher, said university rankings were mostly just for show. He wrote in The New York Times. "It may give your parents better bragging(吹牛)rights, but that's about it. "
Moreover, it's not difficult to see the limitations of university rankings. Many rankings focus on the number of times research work is cited(引用) by other researchers. It helps British and US universities to dominate(控制) global rankings because English is the favored language of academia, John O'Leary, a member of the QS academic advisory board, told The Gunrdian,. Also, rankings such as QS mainly focus on the qualities of the university rather than its students. "Any university ranking is likely to help students make better decisions about where to study, but the need to balance them with other more human factors is also important," said Phil Moss, an education and admissions consultant. "Advice from graduates or current students can be as valuable in providing a genuine insight into the experience or quality of a particular degree program. It can also add an element that rankings can never convey the actual emotion of a university experience. "
Why do universities consider rankings important?
A.Rankings make them more appealing. |
B.Rankings are students' only reference. |
C.Rankings can increase their academic level. |
D.Rankings help them complete their websites. |
What does the underlined "It" in paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Academic research work. |
B.The number of researches. |
C.The way of ranking universities. |
D.The limitation of university ranking. |
According to John O'Leary, what helps British and US universities rank well?
A.The wide use of English in academia. |
B.Their outstanding qualities. |
C.Their graduates' excellent performance. |
D.The academia's favor to them. |
Besides ranking, what does Phil Moss suggest you should refer to if you're picking a university?
A.Investment in education. |
B.Guidance from professors. |
C.Information on websites. |
D.Suggestions from students. |
Beijing—(13, July) China sent up a new data relay satellite(数据中继卫星), Tianlian I-02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in South-western Sichuan province.The new satellite will promote the country’s satellite communication network for space docking(对接).
The satellite was launched on a Long-March-3C carrier rocket at 11:41 p.m., sources at the centre told Xinhua News Agency.The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary transfer orbit (地球同步转移轨道).
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite is the country’s second data relay satellite.The first, Tianlian I-01, was launched on April 25.2008.
The two satellites will form a network to improve communications between China’s spacecraft and bases on Earth, according to the centre.They will also be used to help the nation’s first space docking, scheduled for the second half of this year.
As planned, China will launch space module Tiangong-I, which was designed as a platform that will dock with an unmanned spaceship, Shenzhou, for the county’s first space-docking mission this year.
Two more Shenzhou spaceships will dock with Tiangong-I next year, and one will be manned by two or three astronauts, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office, which was the main user of the Tianlian I series data relay satellites.
“The new satellite can cover a greater area to track and command the country’s space vehicles in low-Earth orbits, such as manned spacecraft and remote sensing satellites, from a higher position in outer space.Only three satellites of this kind are needed to form a global communication network, and China has two now.” Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of Space International, said.
The satellite could also equip astronauts with real-time communications, which will benefit the country’s future manned space flights, he said.What is the main purpose to send up Tianlian I-02 ?
A.To test the function of a Long-March-SC carrier rocket. |
B.To carry some astronauts into space to do some research. |
C.To send more information and clearer pictures to mobile phones on the earth. |
D.To promote the country’s satellite communication network for space docking. |
From the passage we know.
A.one more such satellite is needed to form a global communication network |
B.the satellite was developed by China Manned Space Engineering Office |
C.it was less than three years since China launched its first date relay satellite of this kind |
D.the satellite could help track and command space vehicles in orbits because it’s lower in position |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the news report?
A.Shenzhou Ⅷ is a manned spaceship. |
B.Tiangong-I will dock with three Shenzhou spaceships next year. |
C.the satellite is of great importance to China’s space exploration. |
D.china’s first space docking will be done in the second half of next year. |
The best title of the passage could be___________.
A.China Launched a New Space Shuttle |
B.China’s Plan for Space Exploration |
C.China’s Progress in China’s Space Exploration |
D.New Satellite Helps China’s Space Exploration |
October 15th is Global Handwashing Day.Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments.These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public-private Partnership for handwashing with soap.The goal, they say, is to create a culture of handwashing with soap.The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs.They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap.Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails.Then, wash well under running water.Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing.Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs.And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the chances that people will wash again.
It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine.It could help reduce cases of diarrhea, which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?
A.To keep healthy by washing hands. | B.To wash hands with soap. |
C.To take action to wash hands. | D.To wash hands often. |
Which of the following is the right way to wash hands?
a.Washing hands well. b.Covering hands with soap. c.Drying hands.
d.Rubbing hands with soap.e.Wetting hands.
A.a--c--b--e--d | B.e--d--a--b—c |
C.a--c--b--d--e | D.e--b--d--a--c |
.Which fact can NOT explain why soap is important?
A.It gives people a longer handwashing time. |
B.It helps to remove a lot of germs from hands. |
C.It attracts people to do more handwashing. |
D.It gets all people into the habit of washing hands. |
According to the last paragraph, diarrhea is a disease that ________.
A.kills half of the kids in the developing countries a year |
B.causes the greatest number of child deaths |
C.can be prevented to some degree by washing hands with soap |
D.can’t be cured without washing hands |
When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not.He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself.He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote.But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.This is the shadowland(虚幻世界)of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we’re paying $ 6,000 a year.” $ 6,000 was real money in 1960.It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more.Besides, he could write in his spare time.As the dollars were dancing in Alex’s head, something cleared his senses.He had dreamed of being a writer? Full time."Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I’m going to stick it out and write."
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents.Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far.I’m not sure I ever felt so low."
Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced.The shadows had turned into focus of attention.
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before.Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents.Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room.It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland.Why did Alex give up his job?
A.Because he didn’t like the working conditions. |
B.Because he couldn’t earn enough to make a living. |
C.Because he wanted to be a full-time writer. |
D.Because he felt he had no potential in his job. |
What did Alex express when he answered the call?
A.He refused the job offer. |
B.He was willing to give them a hand. |
C.He expected them to pay him more money. |
D.He would write in his spare time. |
What kind of person is Alex?
A.Determined. | B.Modest | C.Shy. | D.Brave. |
Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
A.Look before you leap. |
B.Two heads are better, than one. |
C.Hold on to your dream, and it will come true. |
D.A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. |
“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.
The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people. But here’s the true answer:
The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8, 1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.
While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.
As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.
When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.
For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.
My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said, “Thanks for being here.”
For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.
It’s the most important thing I have ever done.
The experience taught me two lessons.
First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people Icared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that—just be there when someone needed me.
Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.
From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write—or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author __________.
A felt it was not an interesting question
B. thought for a while and spoke his mind
C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view
D. didn’t give the real answerWhen he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _________.
A.he had to stay with his family | B.his friend did not need his help |
C.he would not be of much help | D.the baby would be in the doctor’s care |
The purpose of the author’s description of the scene at the hospital is to inform us that ______.
A.he found out that he was in the way |
B.he would have felt guilty if he had not been there |
C.he regretted that he went too later |
D.his friend would have felt better if he had not been there |
Which of the following is conveyed in this story?
A.Family and relatives can not take the place of friends. |
B.More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble. |
C.It is best to be here when someone needs you. |
D.You can certainly help a friend if you want to. |
The author learned from his own experience that_______.
A.what is taught in school is usually of no use |
B.a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms |
C.a lawyer should know people’s feeling first |
D.he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically |
NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the Red Planet since 2004. But a little more than a year ago, NASA lost contact with Spirit. The space agency has tried several ways to make contact with the rover, but Spirit has not sent back any signals.
Spirit landed on Mars on January 4, 2004. Three weeks later, Opportunity arrived. Soon after, the rovers went to the opposite side of Mars. Spirit’s original mission was only designed to last for three months, but Spirit has worked for more than five years doing additional missions. Both rovers have made important discoveries about ancient Mars. They have taken thousands of images and found evidence in the rocks of a water, warmer past in Mars’ history.
Spirit is solar-powered. It got stuck in a sand trap in April 2009, trapped deep into the soil and with its wheels turning around and around but not able to move forwards or backwards. Spirit had to agree that there is nothing that can be done to change the situation—it’s never going to move again. However, even if it is a not moving station, it can still study the planet’s atmosphere and deep interior.
NASA has been concentrating on trying to position its solar panels to get as much energy from the sun as possible, or to get the rover leaning in a manner that will allow the most amount of sunlight falling on its solar panels, in order to keep it alive during the coming winter months. Engineers have planned to rock the vehicle back and forth to acquire a more favorable position. However, no matter how many efforts have been made, Spirit still could not get out of the soft soil and could not lean itself toward the sun as the Martian winter approached. Without enough
energy reaching its solar panels and with so little energy in its batteries, it went into hibernation, just like a polar bear, and has not communicated with Earth since March 22, 2010.
Whatever the future holds for Spirit, its mission has been an outstanding success. When it landed on the Red Planet in January 2004, no one was really sure how long it would continue working in the cold and dusty environment. As a matter of fact, three months was its original goal.
After so many fruitless efforts, NASA scientists are losing hope of ever reconnecting with Spirit, but they will give it one more try. Ground controllers are contacting Spirit over a range of frequencies and at different times during the day in case its internal clock stopped working and it lost track of time. They also are commanding the rover to turn on its backup radio transmitter in case the main one is dead.
If this final effort to connect isn’t successful, NASA will shift the focus to its twin robot, Opportunity, which is in a different part of Mars. Opportunity is still on the move and continues to travel freely to this day. It has traveled 16.6 miles so far, and is currently rolling towards another crater it has yet to explore.
NASA has spent more than $900 million on the project but shows no sign of giving up on these determined and hard-working robots. The rovers are, though, experiencing gradual wear and tear, the expected damage to something caused by using it repeatedly over a period of time. Even before Spirit got trapped, one of its wheels had failed. And NASA says it’s just a matter of time before both robots break down completely.According to the passage, what can we know about Spirit?
A.It had explored Mars several times. |
B.Its original mission was![]() |
C.It landed on Mars three weeks later than Opportunity. |
D.![]() |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT what NASA did?
A.Try to lean Spirit to make it get as much sunlight as possible. |
B.Rock Spirit back and forth to make it acquire a more favorable position. |
C.Make efforts to help Spirit get out of the soft soil where it is stuck. |
D.Contact and order Spirit to turn on its backup radio transmitter. |
The reason why Spirit failed to communicate with the Earth is that ________.
A.it didn’t have enough energy | B.it had finished its task |
C.something was wrong with its wheels | D.it met an unidentified creature |
By saying “NASA will shift the focus” in Paragraph 7, the author means that ______.
A.NASA will move the center of Spirit out of the sand |
B.NASA will depend on Opportunity to do the exploration |
C.NASA will do nothing but wait for some opportunity |
D.NASA will make opportunity help Spirit |
The last paragraph mainly informs us that _______.
A.NASA has planned to spend more money on Spirit |
B.Spirit will be brought back to Earth |
C.Spirit will stop operating totally in the future |
D.Spirit will cause damage to Mars |
What’s the text mainly about?
A.NASA makes the last effort to contact Spirit. |
B.Spirit has made many important discoveries on Mars. |
C.How Spirit got stuck and couldn’t move on Mars. |
D.Why NASA tried many ways to contact Spirit. |