In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超過……分數(shù)) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.

Those American High Schools lavish more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.

Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D. C. , which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”

One of the ironies (諷刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.

1.Tom decides to spend his senior year in Poland because _______.

A. there are striking differences between the 2 countries

B. Polish kids are better at learning

C. sports are not supported at schools in Gettysburg

D. he intends to improve his scores

2.According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.

A. too much importance is placed on sports in America

B. little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools

C. American high schools complain about sports time

D. PISA plays a very important role in America

3.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.

A. American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot

B. high expectations push up American students’ academic performance

C. low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance

D. lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance

4.The purpose of this article is to _______.

A. draw public attention to a weakness in American school tradition

B. call on American schools to learn from the Polish model

C. compare Polish schools with those in America

D. explain what is wrong with American schools and provide solutions

A great loss—Shirley Temple dies at 85

February 12,2014

BYDERRIKJ.LANG ,Associated Press

Shirley Temple Black, who died on February 10th at age 85, wasn’t just a child star. She was THE child star—the sweet little girl whose shining smile helped illumine some of the darkest days the US has known during the Great Depression.

It’s hard today to imagine the super star Shirley was once “America’s Little Darling”. She sang and danced her way to the top of the box office in such films as Bright Eyes, Curly Top and Heidi. By 1940, she had appeared in 43 films. Temple teamed with Bill Robison in four movies, and their dance on the stairs in The Little Colonel is still a legendary film moment.

In the 1930s, her name on a movie introduction assured(保證) a packed house. She inspired dolls, dresses, dishes—even a drink (alcohol-free, of course).

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt once famously said that “as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right.’’

Unlike so many of today’s child stars, Temple didn’t end up with her name appearing across the headlines for bad behaviors. Instead of getting her photos on front pages or struggling with drugs and alcohol, Temple went on to a second career in diplomacy (外交), including presidential appointments as ambassador to Ghana.

She surprised a lot of people who doubted her with her grace, knowledge and eagerness to serve. In fact, her career in public service (20 years) was longer than her career in movies (19). The role she valued most, however, was as wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

The world has lost a treasured Hollywood legend. But her movies will allow that little dynamic figure to continue charming audiences for a very long time.

1.The word “illumine” in Paragraph 1 means _______.

A. Shorten B. Sweeten

C. strengthen D. brighten

2.Temple, as a child movie star, can best be described as _______.

A. sweet and lively

B. gentle and kind

C. smart and knowledgeable

D. shy and attractive

3.What part did she regard as the most important in her life?

A. A top movie star.

B. A businesswoman.

C. Her family role.

D. Her diplomacy career.

4.Where does this passage possibly come from?

A. A biography.

B. A newspaper.

C. A magazine.

D. A poster.

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

Do you want to get home from work knowing you have made a real difference in someone's life? If yes, don't care about sex or age! Come and join us, then you'll make it!

Position: Volunteer Social Care Assistant

(No Pay with Free Meals)

Place: Manchester

Hours: Part Time

We are now looking for volunteers to support people with learning disabilities to live active lives! Only 4 days left．Don't miss the chance of lending your warm hands to help others!

Role:

You will provide people with learning disabilities with all aspects of their daily lives．You will help them to develop new skills．You will help them to protect their rights and their safety．But your primary concern is to let them know they are valued.

Skills and Experience Required:

You will have the right values and great listening skills．You will be honest and patient．You will have the ability to drive a car and to communicate in fluent written and spoken English since you'll have to help those people with different learning disabilities．Previous care-related experience will be a great advantage for you.

1.The text is meant to ______ .

A．leave a note

B．send an invitation

C．present a document

D．carry an advertisement

2.What does the underlined part mean?

A．You'll make others' lives more meaningful with this job.

B．You'll arrive home just in time from this job.

C．You'll earn a good salary from this job.

D．You'll succeed in getting this job.

3.The volunteers’ primary responsibility is to help people with learning disabilities ______ .

A．to get some financial support

B．to properly protect themselves

C．to learn some new living skills

D．to realize their own importance

4.Which of the following can first be chosen as a volunteer?

A．The one who can drive a car.

B．The one who has done similar work before.

C．The one who has patience to listen to others.

D．The one who can use English to communicate.

5.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A．A girl can’t apply for the position．

B．You can get salaries from the position.

C．Free meals are available．

D．You can get the position in 5 days.

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。

My husband, Tom, has always been good with animals, but I was still amazed when he befriended a female grouse (松雞)．It's impossible for a grouse to have any contact (接觸) with people．In fact, they're hard to spot, they usually fly off when they hear humans approaching.

This grouse came into our lives in ．Tom was working out in the field when he her walking around at the edge of the field．She was unafraid and seemed to be curious about what he was doing.

Tom saw the bird several times, and she got more comfortable around him．We quickly grew .of the bird and decided to call her Mildred.

One day, as Tom was working, Mildred came within a few feet of him to watch．Tom he didn't see her and kept working to see what she would do next.

Apparently, she didn't like to be ignored．She'd run up and peck (啄) at Tom's hands, then off to see what he would do．This went on for about 20 minutes, until Mildred became tired of the .and left.

As spring went and summer came, Mildred started to more and more often． Mildred felt comfortable enough to jump up on Tom's leg and stay long enough for me to get a picture of the two of them together．This friendly grouse soon felt not just with our family, but with anybody who walked or drove by.

When hunting season opened, we put a at the end of our driveway asking not to shoot our pet grouse．My father, who lived down the road, warned people not to shoot her．In fact, hunters would stop and take pictures, because they had never seen anything like her.

1.A．though B．because C．unless D．until

2.A．spring B．summer C．a(chǎn)utumn D．winter

3.A．got B．kept C．noticed D．imagined

4.A．naturally B．certainly C．normally D．surprisingly

5.A．shy B．a(chǎn)wkward C．friendly D．elegant

6.A．careful B．tired C．fond D．sick

7.A．supposed B．realized C．hoped D．pretended

8.A．put B．back C．set D．take

9.A．game B．work C．place D．man

10.A．give up B．come out C．turn over D．fly by

11.A．Eventually B．Suddenly C．Constantly D．Presently

12.A．comfortable B．guilty C．a(chǎn)nxious D．familiar

13.A．lantern B．sign C．gun D．loudspeaker

14.A．drivers B．farmers C．hunters D．tourists

15.A．just B．yet C．thus D．a(chǎn)lso

假定你是李華，計劃和同學去敬老院（nursing home）陪老人們過重陽節(jié)（the Double Ninth Festival）。請給外教露西寫封郵件，邀她一同前往，內容包括：

1.出發(fā)及返回時間；

2.活動：包餃子、表演節(jié)目等。

注意：1.詞數(shù)100詞左右；

2.可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3.結語已為你寫好。

Looking forward to your reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

Don't have any________ against women. They can do as well as men.

A. prejudice B. exchange C. effect D. load

the right kind of training, these teenage soccer players may one day grow into international stars.

A. Having given B. Give C. Given D. To give

Suddenly it hit me__________ difficult it was for my mother to get a master’s degree in China in the 1960s.

A. what B. how C. which D. whether

Everyone should learn something about first aid, because every second _________ in an accident.

A. urges B. witnesses C. needs D. counts

語法填空

M: Maria, what can you tell us about your plans for the future?

W: Well, I 1. (consider) taking a year out after I graduate. You know, I maybe travel around the world and see some different countries.

M:2. do you hope to gain from traveling?

W: I’ve always been interested in seeing different places and 3. (experience) different cultures, so it will give me a chance to experience these things first-hand rather than read about them in a book. But I also think that the experience I gain will help me find a good job when I come back.

M: Can you explain 4. you think traveling will help you find a job?

W: Well, the modern business environment is changing. Therefore, to be 5. (success) in one’s life, it is important to be able to accept changes.

M: What do you mean?

W: I mean that you 6. change your attitudes and even working habits to suit the ever-changing environment. And 7. you’ve spent some time traveling, it means that you have to get used to different ideas and ways of doing things as well as simpler things, such as food and climate.

M: Er...It sounds reasonable.

W: I also believe that traveling will teach 8. (my) to be independent as well as value other people.

M: Why do you believe traveling will help you to value other people?

W: As you know, when you’re traveling you can’t get help from your family,9. you have to depend on your friends, or even turn 10. strangers.

M: Oh, I see. You’re right, Maria.