Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write to tell you all that is on my mind.
First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament(證明) of what a great well-rounded student you are. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.
Your college years will be the most important of your life. It is in college that you will discover what learning is about. This will be the period when you go from teacher taught to master inspired, after which you must become a self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn is of no practical use in real life, the learning skills you get will be something you will value forever.
Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Don’t be bothered by what others think or say, but make up your own mind. Most importantly, make true friends and be happy. Don’t worry abut their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities.
Start planning early what you’d like to do. Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? I think your plan to study fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get onto the right courses. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver’s seat--this is your life, and you need to be in control. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you’ll love it!
So please treasure your college years--make the best use of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, and learn through your successes and challenges.
May your years at Columbia be the happiest of your life, and may you grow into just what you dream to be.                                               
Love
Dad & Mom
【小題1】We can read between the lines that________.

A．Dad is very strict with his daughter

B．Dad has a strong love for his daughter

C．Dad always worries about his daughter

D．Dad is much concerned about his daughter's health

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Plan things before you do them.

B．Self-learning is very important in college.

C．Follow your passion and what other people say.

D．Leading a life is just like driving a car.

【小題3】The underlined word “destiny” in the passage is the closest in meaning to____________.

A．weight

B．Time

C．position

D．life

【小題4】The purpose of the author in writing the letter is to tell his daughter to____________.

A．make the most of her college	B．fight till she succeeds
C．be confident and happy	D．smile to her trouble in 1ife

Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can
remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or slid should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn’t, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75% of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92% of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.
【小題1】This article is mainly about             .

A．the lives of school children

B．the cause of arguments in schools

C．how to deal with school conflicts

D．how to analyze youth violence

【小題2】From Paragraph 2 we can learn that             .

A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime

B．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight

C．students tend to lose their temper easily

D．a(chǎn) small conflict can lead to violence

【小題3】Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?

A．To make clear what the real issue is

B．To get ready to try new things.

C．To find out who is to blame

D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match.

【小題4】After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that          .

A．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools

B．there was a decrease in classroom violence

C．there was less student cooperation in the classroom

D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved

【小題5】The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to            .

A．complain about problems in school education

B．teach students different strategies for school life

C．a(chǎn)dvocate teaching conflict management in schools

D．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence

This year’s Newsweek list of the top 100 high schools shows that today those with fewer students are rising.
Ten years ago, when the first Newsweek Top School List based on college-level test participation was published, only three of the top 100 schools had graduating classes smaller than 100 students. This year there are 22.
Fifty years ago, they were the latest thing in educational reform: big, modern high schools outside the cities with thousands of students. Big schools meant economic efficiency, a greater choice of courses, and better football teams. But only years later did we understand that it involved the difficulty of strengthening personal connections between teachers and students. SAT scores began dropping; on average, 30% of students did not complete high school in four years, a figure that rose to 50% in poor city neighborhoods. High schools for a variety of reasons seemed to have made little progress.
Size isn’t everything, but it does matter, and the past decade has seen a noticeable trend toward smaller schools. This has been partly due to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has invested $1.8 billion in American high schools, helping to open about 1,000 small schools — most of them with about 400 kids, each with an average enrollment of only 150 students per grade. About 500 more are on the drawing board. Districts all over the country are taking notice, along with mayors in cities like New York, Chicago and San Diego. And most noticeable of all, there is the phenomenon of large urban and suburban high schools that have split up into smaller units of a few hundred.
Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California, is one of those ranking No.423 — among the top 2% in the country. In 2003, Hillsdale remade itself into three “houses”. 300 students arriving ninth graders are randomly assigned to one of the houses, where they will keep the same four core subject teachers for two years before moving on to another for 11th and 12th grades. Teachers meet with students in groups of 25, five mornings a week, for open-ended discussions of everything from homework problems to bad Saturday-night dates. The advisers also meet with students privately and stay in touch with parents. Along with the new structure came the percentage of freshmen taking biology jumped from 17 to 95.”It was rough for some. But by senior year, two-thirds have moved up to physics,” says Jeff Gilbert. “Our kids are coming to school in part because they know there are adults here who know them and care for them.”
But not all schools show advances after downsizing, and it remains to be seen whether smaller schools will be a cure-all solution.
Ranking schools is always controversial. Over the years this system has been criticized for its simplicity — list of top U.S. high schools was made merely according to the proportion of students taking college-level exams. This year a group of 38 superintendents (地區(qū)教育主管) from five states wrote to ask that their schools should be excluded from the calculation. “It is impossible to know which high schools are ‘the best’ in the nation,” their letter read. “Determining whether different schools do or don’t offer a high quality of education requires a look at many different measures, including students’ overall academic accomplishments, their later performance in college, and taking into consideration the unique needs of their communities.”
【小題1】What can we learn about the schools sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?

A．They are often located in poor neighborhoods.

B．They are popular with high-achieving students.

C．They are mostly small in size.

D．Another 150 schools invested by the Foundation are planned to be set up.

【小題2】According to Jeff Gilbert, the classes at Hillsdale were set up so that students could ______.

A．tell their teachers what they did on weekends

B．experience a great deal of pleasure in learning

C．maintain closer relationships with their teachers

D．deal with the demanding biology and physics courses

【小題3】Newsweek ranks high schools according to ______.

A．their students’ academic achievement

B．the number of their students admitted to college

C．the size and number of their graduating classes

D．their college-level test participation

【小題4】What attitude does the author have towards the present trend in high school education?

A．Subjective.

B．Objective.

C．Indifferent.

D．Disapproving.

【小題5】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Providing Good Education for Baby Boomers

B．Top School List Winning National Support

C．Small Schools Rising in popularity

D．Students Meeting Higher Academic Standards

In 1883. John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea, but Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.'' "It's foolish to chase wild visions." Evcryone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged.
One day he was lying on his bed in hospital, seeing the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows, and a gentle breeze bowing the  flimsy white curtains apart when an idea hit him. He decided to make the best use of the only finger  he could move. Thus, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm until the bridge was finally completed.
【小題1】Which of the following is true of Washington and his father?

A．They are hardworking and courageous.

B．They are stubborn and bold.

C．They are creative and persistent.

D．They are curious and modest.

【小題2】 In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase''wild vision" refers to______.

A．the tragic accident	B．the building of the bridge
C．the brain damage	D．the discussion and persuasion

【小題3】 What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A．She could understand Washington and helped him a lot.

B．She cnuldn't understand him but took good care of him.

C．She didn't like Washington's idea about building the bridge.

D．She took the responsibility to continue building the bridge.

【小題4】From the passage, we know that_______when Roebling proposed building the bridge.

A．people all over America supported him

B．a(chǎn)lmost no bridge experts in the world supported him

C．his friends were strongly in favor of his idea

D．many people considered it would be a great fe

【小題5】 The passage suggests that______.

A．NO pains, no gains.

B．Many hands make light work.

C．A lighted heart is a good medicine.

D．Passion creates wonder.

Hundreds of secondary schools are using a controversial reward scheme which “bribes” (賄賂)pupils with iPods and DVD players to turn up in classes and do homework.
Almost one million schoolchildren have been issued with supermarket-style reward cards which allow them to collect good-behavior “points” and cash them in for prizes.
Schools taking part in the “Vivo Miles” scheme are spending several thousand pounds a year in an attempt to cut truancy (逃學(xué)) and promote achievements. The prizes are ultimately funded by the taxpayer, through school budgets. Nearly 500 secondary schools, one in six, have decided to take part in the scheme, which is intended to replace old-style rewards such as stickers and golden stars.
But the extent of rewards being offered in schools brought a warning that a generation of children is growing up expecting to be rewarded at every stage. Many youngsters are collecting points for ordinary achievements such as remembering to bring their PE kit and wearing the correct uniform.
Under the scheme, teachers award Vivo points—worth 1 penny each—according to the school’s policy. Schools typically spend￡4 to￡6 on prizes per pupil each year, although some commit considerably more. Most pupils accumulate between 400 and 600 Vivos a year. Vivo Miles insists it is “pretty rare” for a pupil to accumulate enough points to buy an iPod, which requires 3,100 Vivos.
But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the scheme amounted to “bribery”. “It misleads children into thinking anything which requires effort has to have a special reward,” he said. “This ‘a(chǎn)ll must have prizes’ view is damaging to children in the long-term.” The scheme amounted to an “admission of failure” by schools. He said. “It shows a school has failed to convince children education is important.”
【小題1】The “Vivo Miles” scheme is aimed at ______________.

A．increasing the income of the school

B．encouraging students to perform well at school

C．inviting more students to attend the school nearby

D．encouraging parents to donate to the school

【小題2】Those who oppose the “Vivo Miles” scheme think ______________.

A．it helps control the problem of truancy

B．it teaches children the importance of saving

C．it will mislead children about efforts and rewards

D．it’s not easy to get more than 600 Vivos a year

【小題3】What’s the writer’s attitude towards the scheme?

A．Supportive.

B．Opposed.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Objective.

When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教務(wù)長(zhǎng)) of Yale, who’ll become Oxford’s vice-chancellor—a position equivalent to university president in America.
　　Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc, have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’s gone global. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.
　　The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board ultimately picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist (活動(dòng)家) who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.
　　Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student number. The decline in government support has made funding-raising an increasing necessary ability among administrators and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.
　　In the past few years, prominent schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position.”
　　Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind of promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.
【小題1】What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?

A．Institutions worldwide are hiring administrators from the U.S.

B．A lot of political activists are being recruited as administrators.

C．American universities are enrolling more international students.

D．University presidents are paying more attention to funding-raising.

【小題2】What is the chief consideration of American universities when hiring top-level administrators?

A．The political correctness.

B．Their ability to raise funds.

C．Their fame in academic circles.

D．Their administrative experience.

【小題3】What do we learn about European universities from the passage?

A．The tuitions they charge have been rising considerably.

B．Their operation is under strict government supervision.

C．They are strengthening their position by globalization.

D．Most of their revenues come from the government.

【小題4】Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard as its vice-chancellor chiefly because _____.

A．she was known to be good at raising money

B．she could help strengthen its ties with Yale

C．she knew how to attract students overseas

D．she had boosted Yale’s academic status

【小題5】In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?

A．They can enhance the university’s image.

B．They will bring with them more international faculty.

C．They will view a lot of things from a new perspective.

D．They can set up new academic disciplines.

Online educational learning games is an effective way with endless option (選擇）for teaching kids of all age groups, and children are also able to operate it without much assistance. Parents find it easier to teach kids through these programs, who become familiar with operating the computer.
Kids have fun learning phonetics, spelling and even a new language. Children are not willing to learn math tables or difficult words at school. They find it fun to sit in front of a computer and learn language and solve mathematical problems. In this age of computers, computers are becoming an important part of the child's daily curriculum with parents opting to teach these children new things each day with the help of online educational games.
Computers are also known to improve the motor skills in children. In addition, the level of these games can be adjusted according to the level and learning ability of the kids. The makers of the games keep the kids' interest in mind while designing them so that their interest is maintained. Another advantage of these games is that you can find free online games and do not have to invest in these expensive products. Other activities that are available on the internet include online coloring games. This is also a constructive way that children can use to pass their leisure time.
Another advantage is that the children can lay in the comfort of their homes. Kids who are fond of playing on the computer can spend their time learning educational material instead on video games that teach violence.
Parents have to keep an eye on their kids and make sure that they do not spend their time on the computer playing games that could be harmful for them. It is essential to direct the kids to educational sites that have beneficial games and are known to help the progress of these children.
【小題1】What is the main idea of this text?

A．Online games can be harmful to kids.

B．Online games can be helpful to kids.

C．Kids like to play games online.

D．Parents are worried about their kids.

【小題2】Kids don't like to learn knowledge probably because_____.

A．they have trouble operating the computer

B．phonetics and spelling are useless

C．staying in the classroom is boring

D．mathematical problems are difficult

【小題3】What should the makers mainly consider while designing the computer games?

A．The kid's expense.	B．The kid's interest.
C．The kid's level.	D．The kid's ability.

【小題4】One of the advantages of online games is that they can_____.

A．help parents keep an eye on their kids

B．make it easier to solve mathematical problems

C．establish closer relationship between parents and kids

D．leave kids comfortable at home

Educating girls quite possibly gets a higher rate of return than any other deal available in the developing world．Women's education may be unusual field for economists, but increasing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social project．And economics, with its emphasis on incentives （激勵(lì)）, provides an explanation for why so many girls lose the chance of education．
Parents in low-income countries don't send their daughters to school because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else's family and bear children．Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school----the prophecy （預(yù)言） becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle （惡性循環(huán)）of abandonment．
An educated mother, on the other hand．has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices．She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance．The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys．will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle （良性循環(huán)）．
Few will argue that educating women has great social benefits．But it has enormous economic advantages as well．Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers．Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling．Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available deal, but they are just the beginning．Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices， including family planning．
【小題1】The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is _______．

A．expensive	B．troublesome
C．rewarding	D．labor-saving

【小題2】What does the author say about women's education?

A．It has developed the interest of a growing number of economists

B．It is in the first place in many developing countries

C．It deserves greater attention than other social project

D．It will get greater returns than other known deal

【小題3】The passage mainly discusses ______．

A．unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries

B．the economic and social benefits of educating women

C．the major contributions of educated women to society

D．the potential earning power of well-educated women

The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive (草寫(xiě)字母）.The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity (真實(shí)性）can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive (認(rèn)知的）opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit.
It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological (神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)的)wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.
【小題1】What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams?

A．Keyboarding.	B．Shorthand
C．Handwriting.	D．Block letters.

【小題2】A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to _________.

A．prove how valuable handwriting is

B．explain what a famous poet he is

C．show how unique his poem is

D．stress how fascinating the documents are

【小題3】The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that_________.

A．the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting

B．the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed xKb 1.Com

C．it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills

D．the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one

【小題4】 According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A．Kindergarten.

B．Primary school.

C．High school.

D．College.

【小題5】What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?

A．Devotion.

B．Encouragement.

C．critical.

D．Objective.