About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not go to classes in school buildings. Instead, they receive their school education by working at home on computers. The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools,” and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to go to a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cybershool called Common-wealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical(技術(shù)的) services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computer when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests honor at their graduation.
小題1:What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschool?

A．They have to take long bus rides to school.

B．They study at home rather than in classrooms.

C．They receive money from traditional public schools.

D．They do well in traditional school program.

小題2:What is a problem with cyberschools?

A．Their equipment costs a lot of money.

B．They get little support from the state government.

C．It is hard to know students’ progress in learning.

D．The students find it hard to make friends.

小題3:Cyberschools are getting popular because ________.

A．they are less expensive for students

B．their students can work at their own speed

C．their graduates are more successful in society

D．they serve students in a wider age range(范圍)

小題4:We can infer that the author of the text is ________.

A．unprejudiced(無偏見的) in his description(描述) of cyberschools

B．excited about the future of cyberschools

C．doubtful about the quality of cyberschools

D．disappointed at the development of cyberschools

小題5: According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A. About 67% of the students in the USA go to cyberschools nowadays.
B. Cyberschools will take the place of traditional schools in the future.
C. Cyberschools are the most popular form of education now in the USA.
D. Not everybody likes cyberschools.

I am an e-mail user. When I first started to use the e-mail system I used to read all my e-mail. I didn’t have much mail. I was very excited about receiving any e-mail. I gave my friends my e-mail address. Soon I had more mail than I wanted. Some of the mail was junk mail. I was worried. I didn’t want my mail to control me.
I’ve tried some methods to help me get control of my mail. First, I check my mail at the same time every day. Also I try to allow myself only 15-20 minutes every day to process my e-mail. This doesn’t always work, but I try. Sometimes I save the messages. Sometimes I just read them, maybe answer a few, and then delete them.
Sometimes I’m not at all interested in a message, so I don’t even open it. I delete it right away. This is very much the way I go through the mail that the postal service delivers to my home.
These methods are very simple. I have some friends who are very clever with computers. From time to time, they teach me new tricks for managing my e-mail. I’ve also learned to transfer some messages to a disk so they don’t fill up my mail files. Then I can read them later and maybe use them in my work. I’m still amazed at what e-mail can do for me! I’m still worried, however, about having too much to read.
小題1:Which is the best title for this passage?

A．How I Go through my E-mail	B．How I Manage my E-mail
C．How I Transfer my E-mail	D．How I Use my E-mail System

小題2:What does the writer suggest by “This is very much the way I go through the mail that the postal service delivers to my home.”

A．That he deals with the mail delivered by the post service almost in the same way.

B．That he receives more postal mail than e-mail.

C．That he likes e-mail much better than the mail delivered by the post service.

D．That he likes going through the mail delivered by the post service.

小題3:Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Sometimes the writer checks his mail in the morning and sometimes in the evening.

B．The writer teaches his friends how to manage their e-mail.

C．The writer always spends less than 15 minutes processing his e-mail.

D．After giving his friends his e-mail address the writer had more e-mail than he wanted.

小題4:In the first paragraph, the underlined phrase “junk mail” probably means      .

A．常規(guī)郵件

B．病毒郵件

C．垃圾郵件

D．商務(wù)郵件

小題5:In the last paragraph, the underlined word “transfer” probably means      .

A．轉(zhuǎn)換

B．改變

C．傳遞

D．轉(zhuǎn)移

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But some women show great interest in colorful beads（珠子）from Uganda made of recycled paper. The beads are sold by a nonprofit organization called BeadforLife.
BeadforLife began as a chance meeting between three American women on a trip to Uganda and a local jewelry maker. Millie Grace Akena was rolling paper beads near her home. She made paper beads as a hobby. But there was no real market in her country.
Torkin Wakefield says she and her daughters Devin and Ginny brought some of the beads back home. Immediately people started admiring the beads. The three Americans started BeadforLife in 2004. Nearly 700 women have taken part.
The group says its beaders earn an average of more than 2,000 dollars a year in the program. This is five times what they earned before. The beads are sold across Uganda and in Boulder, Colorado. They are also sold online and at jewelry shows called bead parties. “Because they have meaning, because these are gifts that help people, when folks in America and beyond buy our beads, they feel a sense of generosity. They feel a direct connection, like they can really take part in getting rid of poverty.” Torkin said.
The jewelry costs between five and thirty dollars. BeadforLife reported sales in its last budget year of more that 3.5 million dollars. It says for every ten-dollar necklace sold, the beader gets two dollars and forty-three cents in money or materials. It says more than 90% of earnings are reinvested in community development projects in Uganda. Torkin Wakefield estimates that BeadforLife has helped more than 8,000 people this way.
So what about Millie Grace Akena, the jewelry maker? Mrs Wakefield says she has gone on to organize a small group of women who work with her, and they sell their beads to a religious group.
小題1:According to the passage, BeadforLife is an organization that ______.

A．provides poor people worldwide with free education

B．mainly encourages people to learn to earn a living on their own

C．has attracted many businessmen to invest in beading

D．supports community development projects in Uganda

小題2:When Torkin Wakefield brought the beads to America, ______.

A．she didn’t know people would like them

B．she wanted to make a fortune out of them

C．people showed great interest in them at once

D．she was thinking of how to find investors

小題3:According to Paragraph 4, the beads are popular because ______.

A．people think buying them is a good way to help the poor

B．they are of good quality and can be kept for a long time

C．they symbolize the most important thing in people’s life

D．they look even more beautiful than diamonds

小題4:Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?

A．Mrs Wakefield makes a great contribution to developing countries.

B．BeadforLife makes beads out of recycled paper.

C．BeadforLife uses paper beads to improve people’s lives.

D．Mrs Wakefield’s career takes off thanks to paper beads.

How often do you change your hairstyle or ask for new dresses? You may be   16  to follow trends（潮流）in Western countries, but young people in the United States don’t care as much about   17  as you do.
A recent survey among high school   18  in China, Japan, South Korea and the US found that   19  teenagers care more about their appearance than young people in the US.
This survey was held in 156 high schools in the four countries. More than 7,000 teenagers were  20  about their views on life and the world. South Koreans, at 83 per cent, cared most about their looks. They were   21  by the Chinese and Japanese, while US students showed the least interest in fashion at only 33 per cent.
“The different results show   22  of cultural background,” said Sun Yunxiao from the China Youth and Children Research Centre. He explained that in the US there are many different   23  of beauty, so teens are more   24  to be confident about their appearance.
US teenagers’ high self-confidence is displayed in the   25 . About 85 per cent are happy with themselves. The percentage of self-confident Chinese students stands at only 30 per cent.
What’s   26 , US students showed more individuality, with 88 per cent   27  that “people should follow their own interests rather than   28 of others”. This is much   29  than South Korea’s 69 per cent, China’s 49 and Japan’s 48.
Japanese students, at 52 per cent, are most dissatisfied with modern society. Chinese and Koreans follow at second and   30  most dissatisfied.
“  31  to the survey, Chinese students are happy and disciplined. They have a strong wish to make a difference.   32  Chinese students need to be more independent and learn how to relax,” said Sun.
The students have different   33  backgrounds. But home and places where friends gather are the favorite places all teens seek happiness.
Exams and worries about life after graduation cause much   34  among most of the teens  35  for the survey.

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)bsorbed B．willing C．careless D．unhappy

小題2:	A．hairstyle B．dresses C．fashion D．culture

小題3:	A．teachers B．students C．citizens D．colleagues

小題4:	A．Asian B．American C．African D．Western

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)nswered B．requested C．persuaded D．questioned

小題6:	A．followed B．decreased C．reduced D．compared

小題7:	A．relations B．a(chǎn)ttitudes C．customs D．differences

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)wareness B．standards C．duties D．expenses

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)dmirable B．confused C．likely D．unbelievable

小題10:

A．survey B．setting C．reference D．paper

小題11:

A．worse B．better C．less D．more

小題12:

A．disagreeing B．observing C．a(chǎn)greeing D．puzzling

小題13:

A．those B．that C．it D．one

小題14:

A．lower B．larger C．smaller D．higher

小題15:

A．first B．third C．fourth D．last

小題16:

A．Leading B．Devoting C．Appealing D．According

小題17:

A．But B．And C．So D．Or

小題18:

A．political B．cultural C．economical D．material

小題19:

A．expectation B．hesitation C．concern D．conservation

小題20:

A．interviewed B．a(chǎn)dvised C．overlooked D．invested

A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adults .
The researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent（青少年的）health to investigate （調(diào)查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
   Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio, etc. But the study did find that every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression. Young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
The study didn't explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Last December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
小題1:The best title for this passage should be____________.

A．Teens, Television and Depression

B．Men Develop Depression Easier than Women

C．Media Use is Harmful to Adolescents

D．Take Great Care of Teenager's Depression

小題2:The result of the research seems to prove______________.

A．teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adults

B．other media uses do no harm to adolescents

C．TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression

D．those who watch no TV will not develop depression

小題3:We can learn from the survey that of all the media use

A．computer games are teenagers' favourite

B．most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio

C．teenagers enjoy watching TV very much

D．newspaper is not included in the survey

小題4:We can conclude that a teenager should _____

A．play more video games instead of watching TV

B．be active in taking part in outdoor activities

C．be more active in watching educational TV programmes

D．a(chǎn)ttend religious services and care for politics

If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame．Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores．Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion．When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that the has nothing to wear．
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste．Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn．Women who can not afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering（改變） the dresses they have．Skirls are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on．
No one can claim that the fashion industry contribulea anything really important to society．
Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability．They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right．There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high —heeled shoes．
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious．Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonder, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers．Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide．
小題1:Designers and big stores always make money _____．

A．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

B．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

C．because they are able to predict new fashions for the coming season

D．because they attach great importance to quality of women’s clothing

小題2:To the writer, the fact that woman alter their old fashioned dresses is seen as       .

A．a(chǎn) waste of money	B．a(chǎn)n expression of taste
C．a(chǎn) waste of time	D．a(chǎn)n expression of creativity

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society

B．The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of characters

C．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women

D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women

小題4:By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”, the writer means that       .

A．women are better able to put up with discomfort

B．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

D．women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at

Where have all the boys gone？You may be able to find them in the gym, at work or hanging out, but there’s one important place where boys are under­represented, and the problem seems to be getting worse. These days, at high school graduation ceremonies, there are a lot more girls than boys.
In fact, every year, 10 percent more girls graduate from high school than boys. “I think that there’s a tendency to focus on boys as problems at this point, rather than recognize that boys have problems,” says Joanne Max, PhD. Experts say the problems start in grade school, where there’s often an emphasis on sports instead of reading, for example. “I think that with boys there’s some idea that it’s not masculine(男子漢的)to read,” says Rob Jenkins, an English professor.
There’s also a shortage of male teachers as role models. “I think boys need role models, so if you’re a boy and you don’t have a dad in your home and then you have one male teacher and it’s your athletic coach then I don’t think you have a message that education is very important,” says Carol Carter, another expert. In addition, classrooms often have too little activity and too much passive listening, which is not conducive(有益的)to boys’ learning.
Experts say parents can fight back in many ways. Read to your sons early and often; show by your actions that you value their education. Ask them about their schoolwork, offer help, drop by their classroom and finally, appeal to their competitive spirit: challenge them to do better and help them understand that their future depends on it.
小題1:The underlined part “one important place” in Paragraph 1 refers to “______”.

A．classrooms	B．factories
C．high school graduation ceremonies	D．gyms

小題2:According to the passage，boys have the problem that they think ______.

A．reading is more important than sports

B．it is shameful for boys to read

C．boys should not work as a teacher

D．boys lack the gift for reading

小題3:Carol Carter’s words implied that ______.

A．parents play an important role in education

B．a(chǎn)thletic coaches contribute a lot to education

C．lack of male teachers affects boys’ attitudes to school work

D．classrooms lack enough activities that are suitable for boys

小題4:According to experts，parents should do the following except ______.

A．often read to their sons when they are young

B．keep an eye on their sons’ studies at school

C．encourage their sons to compete with others

D．prevent their sons from taking part in sports

The average college student in America spent an estimated seven hundred dollars on textbooks last year. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials. Association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now represent just two to three percent of sales. But he says that is expected to reach ten to fifteen percent by 2012. Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. E-textbooks can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device (裝置) so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of e-textbooks? Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find out. Earlier this year they tested them with five hundred students in twenty classes. The university is unusual. It not only provides laptop computers to all seven thousand of its full-time students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to e-textbooks. The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And fifty-six percent said they were better able to find information. But most found that using e-textbooks did not change their study habits. And sixty percent felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all, almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better. But the survey found that cost could be a big influence. Fifty-five percent said they would choose e-textbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase. Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e-textbooks now available because the majority are not interactive. He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video, activities, games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now, most of the books are just words on a screen.
小題1:The passage mainly tells us about ________.

A．the development of e-textbooks

B．different attitudes towards e-textbooks

C．the sales of textbooks and course materials

D．the differences between e-textbooks and physical text-books

小題2:According to the survey, over half of the students think e-textbooks ________.

A．can be rented for less money	B．help in finding more information
C．a(chǎn)re convenient to carry around	D．help them do better in their lessons

小題3:It can be inferred from the passage that e-textbooks ________.

A．will replace physical textbooks	B．a(chǎn)re available at any time
C．have a very bright future	D．still have a lot to improve

As the global financial crisis hits the economy, it’s tough finding a job — especially if you’re competing with thousands of other hopeful students. Sometimes you get the interview, but don’t quite seem to land the job because you don’t have related experience. Don’t despair! Here are a few tips that might give you an edge.
1. Get connected to your network and try to expand it. Talk to friends, family and acquaintances. Let everyone know you are looking for a job.
2. Prepare your resume (個(gè)人簡(jiǎn)歷) carefully and be sure it’s perfect. Have someone else read it over for typos (打字錯(cuò)誤) and grammatical errors. Get professional help. It’s worth the money to present yourself well. If money is tight, read books on resume writing from your public library or search for free help on the Internet.
3. When you apply for a job, be sure you have the skills listed on the posting. If you get an interview, be sure to describe those skills thoroughly. Just having the skills is not enough. Expressing your abilities well can make all the difference in getting the job.
4. Research typical interview questions and practice interviewing. Be well prepared for every interview.
5. Don’t be afraid to accept a position for which you are overqualified — if there’s room for advancements. Many great job advancements come from first doing well at an entry-level position. If you have the right skills and attitude, it won’t be long before you’re in the job you want.
6. Volunteer for a few weeks in your field of study to gain experience if you feel your resume needs an improvement.
7. When deciding what to wear for an interview, think about the position level and the dress code of the organization.
8. Use every tool available to you. For example, this site has many job links for your use.
Good luck!
小題1:What’s the author’s advice on preparing a resume?

A．To read it over several times by yourself.

B．To get professional help even if it costs money.

C．To copy something from books.

D．To publish it on the Internet.

小題2: If you lack related experience you can ____.

A．make up some in your resume

B．read books to get second-hand experience

C．do some related voluntary work

D．get some training at schools

小題3: The purpose of the text is to ____.

A．show how to prepare for an interview

B．wish people good luck

C．encourage people not to despair

D．give advice on how to find a job

“Everybody loves a bargain.” Is a well-known saying. One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away.  They put them outside their house.  They put on a "For Sale" sign.  And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper.  It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn.
Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight -- like tired guests at a party -- waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs. Then there are objects called "white elephants."  A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special.  They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.  They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object.  Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought.
小題1:What kind of things will go to a yard sale?

A．Cheap and ugly things．	B．Things people no longer use．
C．Things out of season．	D．Things of great value．

小題2:A white elephant refers to ______ ．

A．something that can cause n feeling of pain

B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others

C．something sold at the lowest price

D．a(chǎn) toy shaped like a fish

小題3:Most people go to yard sales to ______ ．

A．find Valuable paintings	B．look for something special
C．find a bargain	D．kill their time

小題4:Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?

A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold．

B．It can last for a whole day．

C．It is usually held with a party．

D．It is held outdoors．

小題5:We can infer from the last paragraph that ______ ．

A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale

B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income

C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot

D．most people who go to yard sales want to make money