(2013·烏魯木齊高三第一次診斷性測驗(yàn))If we work with a strong will, we can overcome any difficulty, ________ great it is.

A．what B．how C．however D．whatever

(2013·北京朝陽模擬)Jim came back early last night. It was not yet eight o'clock ________ he got home.

A．before B．that C．when D．until

(2013·河北普通高中高三質(zhì)量監(jiān)測)________ I couldn't fully understand what he wanted to show in his paintings, I thought his works were quite impressive.

A．As B．Since C．If D．While

(2013·寧夏銀川一中高三第四次考試)________ scores of times, but he still couldn't understand it.

A．Having explained

B．Having been explained

C．Though it was explained

D．It was explained

(2013·甘肅蘭州名校高三檢測)The police set about arresting the suspect ________ they found enough evidence to prove him guilty.

A．immediate B．as long as

C．the moment D．as far as

(2013·山西太原部分中學(xué)高三統(tǒng)一檢測)She looked after the orphan ________ he were her own child.

A．as if B．even though

C．now that D．in case

Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.

In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All_this_hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(考試的突擊準(zhǔn)備) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p．m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self?study a night.

The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut?throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.

However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.

1.The students spend the least time in school in ________.

A．the UK B．Finland C．the USA D．Korea

2.According to the text, we think in Korea ________.

A．students spend more time in studying

B．students are tired of studying in class

C．students leave their school early

D．students are always top scorers

3.The underlined phrase “All this hothousing” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.

A．private evening tutoring B．self?study at home

C．long?hour study D．school study

4.From Paragraph 3, we can know that ________.

A．Finnish students are less stressed in study

B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain

C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia

D．British schools are less competitive than universities

5.According to the author, the key to improving education is ________.

A．the attitude B．the schooling time

C．star pupils D．new teaching approach

Does Fame Drive You Crazy?

Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi(狗仔隊(duì)) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小報(bào)) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!

According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time，” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”

The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B．C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold?out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain(抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film?stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.

Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.

If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.

Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.

1.It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.

A．are often misunderstood by the public

B．can no longer have their privacy protected

C．spend too much on their public appearance

D．care little about how they have come into fame

2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired.

B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.

C．Well?known actors are usually targets of tabloids.

D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.

3.What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?

A．Availability of modern media.

B．Inadequate social recognition.

C．Lack of favorable chances.

D．Huge population of fans.

4.What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?

A．Sincere. B．Sceptical.

C．Disapproving. D．Sympathetic.

I'm a bit green at ________ video editing, so it takes me ________ long time to edit these things.

A．the; a B．/; a

C．the; / D．/; the

(2013·煙臺(tái)一模)After ________ seemed an endless wait, it was her turn to enter the interview room.

A．what B．why C．that D．how