Would you want a doctor who got high marks in medical school just for trying hard? Apparently many college students would have no problem with that. They believe students are owed a good grade simply because they put a lot of effort into a class.
The researchers asked more than 800 undergraduates if they agreed or disagreed with some statements. For example: "If I have completed most of the reading for a class, I deserve a B in that course." And: "A professor should not be annoyed with me if I receive an important call during class."
Just 16 percent thought it was OK to take that phone call. But 66 percent agreed that a professor should consider effort and not just the quality of a student's work when deciding grades. And 40 percent thought they should get a B, the second highest mark, just because they did most of the reading for class.
Some experts are not surprised that students often see no difference between effort and results. Social critics like to say that in children's activities these days everyone gets an award just for trying, so no one will feel rejected.
Yet competition to get into the best colleges is fiercer than ever. Students may worry that low grades will keep them out of graduate school or a good job.
And there may be another explanation: pressure from parents to get a good return on the family's investment. These days, college can cost more than a house.
A former teaching assistant recently wrote to the New York Times about his experience with grade expectations. He would try to explain it this way when students asked for a top grade just for studying hard in chemistry class:
What if a baseball player came to spring training and worked harder than all the others, but still could not play well? Would the team accept him anyway, just because he tried so hard?
The students would say no. But most of them would still ask for an A.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Whether students deserve high marks just for trying hard. |
| B．Whether students are allowed to answer calls in class. |
| C．How students can get a good grade in the course. |
| D．Why students put a lot of efforts in their studies. |
According to the research, most of the students _______.
A. thought it was all right to answer the call during class.
B. thought they did most of the work for class and should get a B.
C. objected to deciding grades only by the quality of a student’s work.
D. agreed that they should be given top grades because of their hard work.Which of the following opinions do social critics agree to about children’s activities?
| A．Those who are active in the activities can get an award. |
| B．Only by playing an important role in the activities can you get an award. |
| C．Whoever takes part in the activities can get an award. |
| D．An award is prepared for anyone who performs best in the activities. |
From the sixth paragraph we can learn that _____.
| A．it costs much more to build a college than to buy a house. |
| B．the costs of studying at college are much more than staying at home. |
| C．the costs of sending a child to college are much more than buying a house. |
| D．it is difficult for parents to send a child to college. |
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter(搬运工). I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well.The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neit
her slowly nor clearly. “I am a foreigner”, I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. “ You’ll soon learn English!” he said. It seems to me that in England each man speaks a different language. The Englishman understand each other, but I don’t understand them! Do they speak English? How did the write
r of the passage get to London?
A．By tra in |
B．On foot | C．By sea | D．By air |
What country did the writer of the passage come from?
| A．England | B．Ameica | C．France | D．We don’t know |
Why couldn’t the porter understand the writer when he spoke English?
| A．Because he was a foreigner. |
| B．Because the porter could only understand the London dialect (方言). |
| C．Because he spoke not British English but American English. |
| D．Because he couldn’t speak idiomtic (地道的) English. |
“In England, each man speaks a different language.” The writer thinks so because_________________.
| A．some people speak English, while others don’t. |
| B．he does not understand native(本国的) speakers of English |
| C．not every Englishman speaks English |
| D．each Englishman can speak several foreign languages |
Many years ago, in a small town, there lived a doctor. He was good and kind. At any time of the day and night, he was always ready to go to help a sick person. Everyone in the town liked him and people always went to him when there was anything wrong.
The years went past, and the doctor became old. He began to lose his memory.When people noticed this, they didn’t go to him any more.
“He may give us the wrong medicine,” they said, and they were afraid.
The good old doctor noticed that pe
ople didn’t come to him any more but didn’t understand why. So he asked, “Why does no one come to me now?”
No one wanted to tell him the real reason because they didn’t want to make the good old man unhappy, so they said, “You have helped all the sick people in the town. There is no one sick now.”
The doctor was pleased when he heard that.People always went to the doctor when they were____________.
| A．wrong | B．not right | C．not well | D．not happy |
“He began to lose his memory.”means __________.
| A．He couldn’t know his sick persons any longer. |
| B．He forgot everything in the past. |
| C．He couldn’t find anything. |
| D．He couldn’t remember things well. |
The sick people didn’t come to the doctor any more b
ecause____.
| A．there was no sick man in the town |
| B．he might give them the wrong medicine |
| C．they were afraid of him |
D．he was old and no longer a doctor |
The old doctor was _________ when he heard that there was no one sick in the town.
| A．sorry | B．angry | C．glad | D．surprised |
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively(不引人注目地)and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For e
xample, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite(野营地)seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing(保证）a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people h
ave obviously camped before rather than creating a new spo
t. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary. You needn’t ask for permission when camping in______________ .
| A．national parks in England | B．most parts of Scotland |
| C．crowded lowland Britain | D．most parts of England |
The author thinks that a good campsite is one_______________.
A. with easy access B. used previously
C with modern conveniences D far away from beaches The last paragraph mainly deals with_____________.
A. protecting animalsB building a campfire
C camping in woodland 
D finding a campsite with privacyThe passage is mainly about______________.
A the protection of campsites
B the importance of wild camping
C the human influence on campsites
D the dos and don’ts of wild camping
Tsai Chin Chung is one of Taiwan’s most famous cartoonists, and his cartoons are enjoyed by people in many different countries in Asia. His books of cartoons have now become best sellers in Singapore, Malaysia, and even Japan.
As soon as he could hold a pencil, Tsai Chin Chung lived only for drawing. Every day he practised drawing people and things around him and from his favorite stories.
When he was only 15 years old, he left home to work for a publisher in Taipei. He worked hard to draw pictures for books. Two years later, he left his job and started to work on drawing cartoon series, which he liked better. He made up his mind to succeed as a cartoonist.
Now Tsai Chin Chung has achieved something unusual for a modern cartoonist. He has become extremely successful at changing Chinese literature and philosophy into humorous comic stories. In this way, he has made the Chinese classics known to thousands of people.
Because of his great achievement, several years ago Tsai Chin Chung was given a prize as one of the 10 Outstanding Young People of Taiwan. Since then, he has won many prizes, and his cartoons have become popular throughout Asia, America and Europe. So far, he has published more than 20 comic books. Ten of these are about ancient Chinese philosophers based on Chinese historical and literary classics.
Many of Tsai Chin Chung’s books of cartoons and comics have now been published in English in countries like Singapore. His books have also been translated into several other languages, including Japanese, Korean and Thai. Even publishers in France and Indonesia have recently signed agreements for permission to publish his cartoon series. Tsai Chin Chung left his first job because he ________.
| A．preferred drawing cartoons | B．wanted to go back to school |
| C．enjoyed drawing pictures for books | D．wanted to be famous |
Half of the books he has published are related to _______.
| A．Chinese and foreign comics | B．countries in Asia, America and Europe |
| C．foreign languages learning | D．Chinese history and literature |
Because of his great achievements, Tsai Chin Chung _______.
| A．travelled a lot in Asia and Europe | B．went to live in Singapore |
| C．won an important prize in Taiwan | D．has become famous in Africa. |
Farming was once the chief way of life in nearly every country. People cannot live without food, and nearly all their food comes from crops and animals raised on farms. Not many people farm for a living any more, but farming remains the most important work in the world.
Before the n
ineteenth century, the typical American family lived on a small farm. They raised pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and planted corn, fruits, garden vegetables, and wheat. Everyone worked long and hard, but the results were often poor. Families barely harvested enough food for themselves. This situation began to change during the last half of the 1800's and it changed remarkably(明显地) in the next century.
Scientific methods and labor-saving machinery(机械）have made farming increasingly productive. The development of improved plant varieties and fertilizers（肥料）has helped double and even triple the production of some major crops. More scientific animal 
care and animal raising have helped increase the amount of meat and products that animals produce. At the same time, the use of tractors and other modern farm equipment has sharply reduced the need for farm labor.
As farming has become less important as a way of life in the United States, it has bec
ome more important as a source which offers materials to industry. Today's successful farmers are experts not just in agriculture but also in accounting, marketing, and finance. Farms that are not run in a similar way have great difficulty surviving. We are told in the first paragraph about ____.
| A．the history of farming | B．the importance of farming |
| C．the development of farming | D．the changes of farming |
Which of the following describes American farming before the 19th century?
| A．Farmers didn’t work hard on their farms. | |
| B．Farmers used tractors to help them. | |
| C．Farming was the main way of living for most people | D．Farmers could supply materials to industry. |
The passage mainly talks about_____.
| A．the advantages of American farming | B．the changes in American farming |
| C．the situation of American farms | D．how rapidly farming has developed |