The kids in this village wear dirty, ragged clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can chant the English alphabet, and some can make words.
The key to their success: 20 tablet computers(平板電腦) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.
The goal is to find out whether kids using today’s new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project data say they’re already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten,” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.
The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The device’s camera was disabled to save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.
With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. That’s unbelievable,” said Keller.
The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won’t be in Amharic, Ethiopia’s first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.
【小題1】How does the Ethiopia program benefit the kids in the village?

A．It trains teachers for them.

B．It contributes to their self-study.

C．It helps raise their living standards.

D．It provides funds for building schools.

【小題2】What can we infer from Keller’s words in Paragraph 3?

A．They need more time to analyze data.

B．More children are needed for the research.

C．He is confident about the future of the project.

D．The research should be carried out in kindergartens.

【小題3】It amazed Keller that with the tablet Kelbesa could _______.

A．learn English words quickly.

B．draw pictures of animals.

C．write letters to researchers.

D．make phone calls to his friends.

【小題4】What is the aim of the project?

A．To offer Ethiopians higher paying jobs.

B．To make Amharic widely used in the world.

C．To help Ethiopian kids read to learn in English.

D．To assist Ethiopians in learning their first language.

Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探險(xiǎn))but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.
【小題1】In what way was this expedition different for Larry?

A．His daughter had grown up.

B．He had become a famous diver.

C．His father would dive with him.

D．His daughter would dive with him.

【小題2】What can be inferred from Paragraph2?

A．Larry had some privileges.

B．Larry liked the rented diving suits.

C．Divers had to buy diving equipment.

D．Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive.

【小題3】Why did Larry have to stay in a cage underwater sometimes?

A．To protect himself from danger.

B．To dive into the deep water.

C．To admire the underwater view.

D．To take photo more conveniently.

【小題4】What can be learned from the underlined sentence?

A．Larry didn’t wear a watch.

B．Larry was not good at math.

C．Larry had a poor memory.

D．Larry enjoyed the adventure.

【小題5】What did Larry expect his daughter to do?

A．Become a successful diver.

B．Make a good diving guide.

C．Take a lot of photo underwater.

D．Have longer hours of training.

Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learned that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behaviour could only make the job harder and their behaviour more extreme. I found something that worked, though.
There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.
I was in the craft room working with some other children when my co-worker told me that this boy’s teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking，the boy ran in. I told my co-worker that I would take care of him.
I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed down and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation:
“So what happened today?”
It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believe that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher didn’t let him do what he knew well due to safety but asked him to do what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start，which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize.
【小題1】The boy made trouble for his teacher because he_____   .

A．was accused of destroying property

B．was told not to yell at other children

C．was made to do things against his will

D．was blamed for creating an air of tension

【小題2】Why didn’t the author do anything about the boy’s bad behavior at first?

A．She didn’t want to make it worse.

B．She didn’t mind the huge mess at all.

C．She was tired of shouting and threats.

D．She hadn’t thought of a coping strategy.

【小題3】The author managed to get the boy to talk to her by    _____.

A．playing games with him

B．giving him a good suggestion

C．describing his teacher’s feelings

D．a(chǎn)voiding making critical remarks

【小題4】Why did the boy have tears in his eyes in the end?

A．He was sorry about his reputation.

B．He was regretful about his behavior.

C．He was fearful of the author’s warning.

D．He was sad for the author’s misunderstanding.

An older friend once gave me a piece of advice，“Enjoy the last few weeks of college，” she said，“since college is the best time of your life.”
This was not the first time I’d heard such a statement，but with graduation fast coming close，her words especially struck me.It seemed a bit disappointing to reach one’s life peak at only 22 years of age，but in her opinion，college had been one of the best times in my life so far.I made friends，took classes，and learned a great deal about myself.But I was also excited for the time after college—moving to a new city，starting a new job，and becoming a “real” person.I hoped that my great dreams were practical.
Then，last week I read a column in Real Simple Magazine called 100 Years of Attitude，in which women 100 years or older shared their life experiences and views.I noticed that none of them considered college as the “best” time of their life.Not all of them went to college，but still in most cases their teens and twenties were not the best times of their life.They said some of their favorite times were raising their children，traveling after retirement，and even enjoying their present time and age.
Enjoying one’s present time and age was a clear theme of the interviews.A piece of advice given by the women was about the importance of making the best of all situations.I think it more accurate than that of my friend；I can say with certainty that if I am lucky enough to make it to 100.I refuse to spend the last 80 years of my life plummeting (跌落) downhill，or even leveling off.
I am sure that our eagerness and devotion will make us college students live a meaningful life.We will not just look backwards or miss our college days.We will look forward in excitement about continued journey uphill.
【小題1】Which of the following opinions does the writer agree with?

A．College is the best time of one’s life.

B．Twenties were the best time of the old people.

C．One should make the best of all situations.

D．One should not look backwards at their college time.

【小題2】In the second paragraph，the writer wants to say________.

A．her achievements in college would be the peak of her success

B．she is looking forward to living as a “real” person in college

C．she becomes more and more uneasy with graduation

D．she is satisfied with the college life but is hopeful for the future

【小題3】The column the writer read is mainly about those old women’s________.

A．best time of life at youth

B．life experiences and views

C．different opinions about life

D．favorite time with best friends

【小題4】By saying “I refuse to spend the last 80 years of my life plummeting downhill，or even leveling off” (in Paragraph 4)，the writer really means________.

A．she will not spend the rest of her time at college

B．she will not just obtain a college level certificate

C．she will not be satisfied with what she has already accomplished

D．she will not be content with the life in the future

【小題5】Which of the following words can be used to describe the writer?

A．Ambitious.	B．Practical.
C．Imaginative.	D．Proud.

Mobile phone（手機(jī)）has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned（禁止）students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone used among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phone as Christmas gifts, and more students will want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心的事）to student during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
【小題1】 Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones___.

A．because they are students

B．when they are free

C．when they are at school（在上學(xué)）

D．because they are children

【小題2】What does the underlined word “cheat” mean in the passage?

A．聊天	B．核對(duì)
C．查詢	D．作弊

【小題3】Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t _________ during school hours.

A．use their mobile phones

B．leave their mobile phones at school office

C．help the teachers with their work

D．get in touch with （和……取得聯(lián)系）their children

【小題4】The passage tells us that _________.

A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons

B．it is impossible to ban students from using mobile phone at school

C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school

D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school hours

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(jué)）．
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

The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper.
Dear editor,
I’d like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary(武斷的) standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith
Drama Club
Dear editor,
I’d like to say something about grades. Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate(激發(fā)) students to work at their highest level of competence（能力）. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure students’ achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper
Science Club
【小題1】Which of the following is not Magdalena Smith’s opinion?

A．Grades should not be used to measure a person’s success.

B．Students may give up the chance to learn music and sports for grades.

C．Students’ creativity may not be developed for grades.

D．Grades should be taken away at once.

【小題2】We can learn Simon Harper _____.

A．is concerned about students' creativity

B．believes in the benefits of good grades

C．doesn't work too hard at his studies

D．supports students' interests and abilities

【小題3】From the second letter, we can infer that Simon Harper is a/an_____.

A．student	B．teacher
C．headmaster	D．a(chǎn)dvertiser

One of the latest trend（趨勢(shì)） in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from aero to around 4,000 since 2004. And that’s true all across the country.
“I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age” Joseph Stocke, the managing director of s company, says of his 2-year old son. “I would at least like to  give him the chance to use the language in the future,” After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.
Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China. She didn’t want her children to miss out on their roots.” Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to(接觸) the language and culture.” she says.
“Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom,” says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of Children.” But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders.  Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12.”
The popularity if au pairs from  China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.
【小題1】What does that term” au pair” in the text mean?

A．A mother raising her children on her own

B．A child learning a foreign language at home

C．A professor in language education of children

D．A young foreign woman taking care of children.

【小題2】Li Drake has her children study Chinese because she wants them ______.

A．to live in China some day

B．to speak the language at home

C．to catch up wit other children

D．to learn about the Chinese culture

【小題3】What can we infer from the text?

A．Learning Chinese is becoming popular In America,

B．Educated woman do better in looking after children

C．Chinese au pairs need to improve their English Skills.

D．Children can learn a foreign language well in six months.

We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is perfect — but to have no tests or examination would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency， the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favoritism will replace equality at the moment. The bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents（反對(duì)者） of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.
【小題1】The word “favoritism” in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that        .

A．bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs.

B．poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets.

C．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs.

D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success.

【小題2】What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?

A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation.

B．There would be more opportunities and excellence.

C．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools.

D．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation.

【小題3】The opponents of the examination system will agree that          .

A．jobs should not be assigned by systematic se lection

B．computers should be selected to take over many jobs.

C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standards

D．schools with academic subjects should be done aw ay with

【小題4】The passage mainly focuses on           .

A．schools and certificates

B．examination and equality

C．opportunity and employment

D．standards and reputation

Many Chinese students who have learnt English for more than ten years are still unable to speak English very well when they meet a foreigner.They seem to have mastered the basic language structure(結(jié)構(gòu)), but a conversation in English will make them feel uneasy. They are afraid that other people might find out their mistakes.
It's uncommon that many students who are bad speakers of English can write English perfectly. This proves that they are unable to organize their idea in English. The center of the problem is that they lack practice and confidence (自信).
Why should you be afraid? Do you fear those foreigners with whom you are speaking? Don't be shy, they will not laugh at you just for a little mistake you make. The best way to get rid of trouble is to learn to speak by speaking more. I am sure that constant practice will help you succeed.
【小題1】 What's the best topic for the passage?

A．How to Speak to Foreigners

B．How to Study English Well

C．How to Organize the Idea in English

D．Practise Speaking English All the Time

【小題2】Many Chinese students can write English very well, but they cannot speak English fluently because ________

A．they seldom practise speaking English

B．they seldom meet foreigners

C．they had no chance to speak English

D．they think it's enough to master the basic language structure only

【小題3】 So many Chinese students are afraid speak to foreigners because

A．they worry about making mistakes in their speaking

B．they don't think their English is poor

C．they are afraid they can't understand foreigners

D．they didn't like speaking to foreigners