七選五（共5小題，每小題2分，共10分）
(1) ____You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here’s how.
Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying.(2)____ A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.
Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.
Make good use of your time in class. (3)____ Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.
Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes.Review the important points that your teacher has mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day,  read that material. (4)_____ If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you’ll remember it longer.
Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be over worried.
(5)____ You will probably discover them after you have tried these.

A．There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B．Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.

C．Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D．No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. Maybe you are an average student.
F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.
G. This will help you understand the next class. 

Some American parents might think their children need better educations to compete with China and other countries. But how much do the parents themselves need to change?
A new book called Battle Hymn(圣歌) of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting. Ms. Chua is a professor at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, and the mother of two daughters. She was raised in the American Mid-west by immigrant Chinese parents.
In the Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power. In her book, Ms Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example, she threatened to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly. She would insult her daughters if they failed to meet her expectations.
Ms. Chua told NBC television that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do.
“Attend a sleepover, have a playdate, watch TV or play computer games, be in a school play, get any grade less than an ‘A’.”
Many people have criticized Amy Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Ms. Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting. She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”
Ms. Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughter. But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities.
“One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parenting is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility.”
Stacey DeBroff has written four books on parenting. “I think that the stirring of intense debate has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child.”
Ms. DeBroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children.
But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about American parents?

A．Some of them expect their children to be competitive.

B．Some of them need to educate themselves better.

C．They should learn from Chinese parents.

D．They care their kids more than Chinese.

【小題2】What can we learn about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother?

A．It is a list of things for children to do.

B．It is a book about cultural differences.

C．It is a heated debate about parenting.

D．It is a book about how to raise children.

【小題3】Based on the passage, Ms. Chua’s parenting is exposed to the following EXCEPT           

A．pressure

B．management

C．recreation

D．compromise

【小題4】 Which of the following agrees with Ms. DeBroff?

A．Different cultures have different concepts of values.

B．Chua’s parenting is followed by many American families.

C．Immigrants are always bitterly struggling abroad.

D．Parents had better raise their children in person.

【小題5】 What’s the author’s attitude towards Ms. Chua’s parenting?

A．Positive

B．Inactive

C．Indefinite

D．Negative

Eleven top universities are joining the Open University to launch free Internet courses. King’s College London, along with the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St Andrews and Warwick, has partnered with FutureLearn, a company set up by the Open University that will offer free and non-credit bearing courses to Internet-users around the world.
The courses are modeled on the US phenomenon “Massive open online courses” ( Moocs ), which have attracted millions of users around the world and are especially popular in emerging economies.
FutureLearn will improve UK institutions for international students, said Prof Martin Bean, voice-chancellor of the Open University. “At the moment, foreign students’ perception of UK Universities is: wonderful history, great tradition, really good teaching, but a bit boring.”
Leeds University says the partnership will benefit students studying on campus. “Students will have access to a rich set of resources from both Leeds and our partners. They can also broaden their education beyond their main subject areas.”
The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for Britain Moocs have grown rapidly in the US over the past year, with two providers leading the field. Coursera offers courses from 33 Universities, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke, and has reached more than 1.7 million users, EdX, a nonprofit start-up from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology courses this autumn.
Simon Nelson, one of the key architects of BBC Online, will head FutureLearn as launch CEO. “It’s really meaningful for these universities to come together –we’ll punch much harder collectively than any other university will individually,” he said.
Partner Institutions will be responsible for their own content while the OU, which has been providing distance-learning courses since 1971, will assist with course delivery and infrastructure. Details of further universities will be revealed next year, as will the courses on offer.
【小題1】 What does the underlined word “perception” in paragrah3 mean?

A．expectation

B．view

C．dream

D．proposal

【小題2】 We can learn from the passage that              

A．Coursera, one of the two providers, leads the online courses in the US.

B．Economics is the most popular subject among these online courses.

C．FutureLearn is only set up for the Internet-users.

D．About 1,7million users are taking the free courses launched by UK.

【小題3】What is implied in Simon’s words?

A．It’s really meaningful for these universities to cooperate.

B．Single university can’t do the work very well.

C．These universities will compete with each other.

D．Joint efforts by these top universities will help the program go more smoothly.

【小題4】All of the following statements are true except             

A．Internet-users don’t need to get credit for the courses.

B．UK may top the list of online education one day.

C．The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for England.

D．Some foreign students may think UK universities are not so satisfying.

【小題5】 In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?

A．Entertainment

B．Science

C．Education

D．Business Week

A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become addicted to computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
【小題1】The main idea of the passage is about________.

A．the cause of weboholism

B．the advantage of weboholism

C．the popularity of weboholism

D．the influence of weboholism

【小題2】The underlined word “obsessional” in the second paragraph most probably means “________”.

A．a(chǎn)ddictive	B．professional
C．a(chǎn)ttractive	D．hidden

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers

B．virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway

C．people are addicted to games on the Internet

D．students can hardly balance real and virtual life

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
　　A revelation (啟示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自發(fā)地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
【小題1】What did the author say about her own writing experience?

A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

【小題2】 Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?

A．She wanted to share her stories with readers.

B．She had won a prize in the previous contest.

C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.

D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

【小題3】 The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.

A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer

B．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

D．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing

【小題4】 What’s the author’s advice for parents?

A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.

C．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.

D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

Aggie Bonfire (篝火) was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry (競爭) with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn. Known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire", the annual autumn event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desires”. The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in connection with festivities surrounding the annual college football game.
Although early Bonfires were little more than piles of trash, as time passed, the annual event became more organized. Over the years the bonfire grew bigger, setting the world record in 1969. Bonfire remained a university tradition for decades until, in 1999, a collapse during construction killed twelve people—eleven students and one former student—and injured twenty-seven others.
The accident led Texas A&M to declare a pause on an official Bonfire. However, in 2002, a student-sponsored-and-off-campus "Student Bonfire" came up.
In 2003, the event became known as Student Bonfire. In a design approved by a professional engineer, Student Bonfire uses a wedding cake design, but, in a departure from tradition, every log in the stack (堆) touches the ground. For added support, four 24 feet poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45 feet center pole with a steel pipe. Since the group does not receive funding, Student Bonfire charges a fee to each attendee to cover expenses. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000–15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties.
【小題1】When did Aggie Bonfire come into being?

A．In 2003.	B．1999.
C．1909.	D．2002.

【小題2】 Which of the following statements is true according to the above passage?

A．Texas A&M University started Aggie Bonfire.

B．The University of Texas at Austin started Students Bonfire.

C．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Students Bonfire.

D．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Aggie Bonfire.

【小題3】Why did Aggie Bonfire once stop?

A．Too many people wanted to join in it.

B．Some serious accidents occurred during the activity.

C．It ran out of fund and then stopped.

D．There were no official supports.

【小題4】 Which of the following might serve as the best title of the whole passage?

A．From Aggie Bonfire to Student Bonfire.

B．A brief history of American Bonfire.

C．Why not join Bonfire?

D．Bonfire in Texas of the United States.

Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can. Speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can.
Compare your pronunciation with the master version（原版）to see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each time is better than last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don't get stuck by a word you don't know.
Practise improving ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously（本能地），even if you don't know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to make yourself understood.
Language learning is also about intuition（直覺）．
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren't expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, and then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun!
【小題1】  What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To tell us the importance of practicing speaking as often as we can.

B．To tell us a few tips to help us learn a new language well.

C．To tell us that guesswork is an important way to learn a new language.

D．To tell us that a wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning.

【小題2】 What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the first part?

A．Have another try or attempt.

B．Move away from a place to another.

C．Enter a certain state or condition.

D．Follow or take a certain course.

【小題3】  To learn English well, we shouldn’t _______ according to the passage.

A．practice speaking as often as possible

B．study frequently, for short periods of time to build up our vocabulary

C．try to understand everything and stop when we meet a new word

D．try to persuade a friend or family member to study with us

【小題4】 According to the passage, to learn a new language well, the most important thing is ______.

A．speaking as much as possible	B．having fun
C．a(chǎn) wide vocabulary	D．guesswork

In New Britain, Connecticut, a new official in charge of schools named Kelt Cooper wants to end high truancy (逃學(xué)) rates among public school students, and he’s suggesting financial punishments to get job done. A plan to fine students up to $75 for each day they skip school is now being considered by New Britain authorities.
The concept of fining kids for skipping school may come as a shock, but it’s not new. In Ohio, the parents responsible for a student guilty of habitual truancy can be fined up to $500 and/or be required to perform up to 70 hours of community service. Until recently, students in Los Angeles could be hit with a $250 punishment for each count of truancy; in early 2012 the law was changed and the heavy fines were removed, though a $20 punishment may still be handed out if a student truants for the third time.
Fines for truancy are also in effect overseas. In the UK, The Guardian reports, parents can be fined ￡50 (about $80) per skipped school day. The punishment doubles if it’s not paid within 28 days.
The question is: Do fines like this work? The vast majority of authorities in the UK said that, indeed, they do. The fines were believed either “very successful” or “fairly successful” by 79% in reducing truancy, according to a survey.
If the plan is passed in Connecticut, it’s unclear how effective the law might be, how to make parents and students obey the law and what might happen if they refuse to pay. However, local officials seem to be willing to give it a shot. According to the Hartford Courant:
“The mayor agrees that truancy is a real issue in New Britain schools, and what’s been done in the past hasn’t been working to reduce truancy.” said Phil Sherwood, assistant to Mayor Timothy O’ Brien.
And what do the students think? In the New Britain Herald, one 17-year-old entering her senior year called the plan “ridiculous” and predicted that the punishments will bring about negative effects on the court system. Besides, “I don’t see the point,” she said. “Kids will just try harder not to get caught.”
【小題1】 The passage mainly discusses whether __________.

A．schools have the right to punish students

B．a(chǎn)uthorities should consider protecting kids

C．students should be fined for skipping school

D．parents are responsible for children’s truancy

【小題2】 If a British kid skips two school days and fails to pay fines in a month, the punishment will be __________.

A．two hundred pounds	B．fifty pounds
C．eighty pounds	D．a(chǎn) hundred pounds

【小題3】 We can learn from the passage that ___________.

A．truancy is a serious problem in New Britain

B．Cooper’s plan has been passed in Connecticut

C．fining kids for truancy is a new idea in America

D．little has been done to reduce truancy in New Britain

【小題4】 The underlined part “give it a shot” most probably means _____________.

A．get used to it	B．help improve it
C．try to carry it out	D．fight against it

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。
How to Make Friends
Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends.  Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health.  There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools.  Such changes often leaves us without a friend 【小題1】  51 .  But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.
Associate with others.
The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.
Start a conversation
Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.  【小題2】  You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.
【小題3】   
Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together, Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.
Let it grow.
It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.   【小題4】  .  The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.
Enjoy your friendship
The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.  【小題5】  Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A． Be cheerful.

B． Do things together.

C． Do not wait to be spoken to.

D． Try not to find fault with your friends.

E.  Making new friends comes easy for some people.
F.  For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.
G.  So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

The new studies show that fewer than half of the 9th graders in many of the nation’s largest cities, can ever graduate. The studies clearly show that the dropout rate isn’t dropping. And, in particular, the dropout rate isn’t dropping for poor and minority students.
Amazingly, though so many regret the rising dropout rate, our schools continue to lack formal plans—or any plans—to teach students motivation. Most schools have no game plan to ensure that students understand that schooling will be completely necessary. Schools expect youth and children to act as though schooling is important, but they never teach them to believe that.
Years ago, families ensured that the children recognized the value of schooling. But in many modern families, the children may fail to recognize the importance of school life just because these families may actually tell their children that school is not important. Since many families are not motivating their children to be interested students, youth professionals, like teachers may need to provide this training.
Here are some strategies to convince even the most apathetic (無動于衷的) students that they must stay in school.
Ask students if they will ever need to work: The world has changed. 100 years ago, factory work was the booming job, and it required no education. Today, factories are increasingly automated. Most computer-related jobs require education and at least a high school diploma.
Ask students which century they will be prepared for: In 1900, the most common jobs were farm laborer and domestic servant—education not needed. Now, the most common jobs are office and sales staff—education and diploma usually needed. An amazing 6 out of 10 people today work in a store or office.
Ask students to devise a way that the employee could be replaced. For example, the coming trend in fast food is to use computers rather than people to run the restaurant. A prototype is apparently already being tested. The students should discover that most jobs that lack education and diploma requirements may be ripe for automation.
【小題1】What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph1?

A．Few students can afford to go to school in large cities.

B．A large number of the 9th graders can graduate now.

C．There are still quite a few 9th graders leaving school early.

D．Most schools in large cities have fewer and fewer students.

【小題2】It can be inferred that     .

A．both schools and families should answer for the high dropout rate

B．many new jobs don’t need children’s high school diploma

C．working in a store doesn’t require a high school diploma

D．most schools are ready to help students recognize the importance of study

【小題3】The author takes factory work for example mainly to       .

A．tell us that many jobs required certain education in the past

B．show that employment in the computer field grows at a high rate

C．show that there are more factory work and employment in modern society

D．emphasize that modern jobs require education and schools are necessary