When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying，“We have to go to work now.” you're left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is , until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

Stage schools often act as agencies (代理機(jī)構(gòu)) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn't settle for spending only hal

f the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 do 80 days.

The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don't make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

1.People would stop feeling uneasy when realising that the children they're talking to  ________.

A. attend a stage school

B. are going to the theatre

C. have got some work to do

D. love singing and dancing 

2.In the writer's opinion, a good stage school should  ________ .

A. produce star performers

B. help pupils improve their study skills

C. train pupils in language and performing arts

D. provide a general education and stage training 

3.“Professional work” as used in the text means  ________ .

A. ordinary school work

B. money?making performances

C. stage training at school

D. acting, singing or dancing after class 

4.Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.

B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached. 

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳的選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。（共5小題；每小題2分，滿分10分）

Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor. Whenever I speak to a Chinese student, they always say,“My spoken English is poor.” 1.      I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary.

2.___   However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if you choose a positive attitude. Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

3.   __  Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly. However, in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn't matter. 4.      

The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening. You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing is necessary for you to start speaking.

Fourth, most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners. Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor.

5.     

A. The person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances for any mistakes he hears.

B. They may try to avoid making similar mistakes next time.

C. Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary.

D. If you have this proactive outlook, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

E. However, their spoken English does not have to remain” poor”!

F. Second, they are afraid of making mistakes.

G. The second reason lies in the reluctance of using what has just been learned.

 

The trip to the United State opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of similarities as well as differences between American youth and French youth.
The first difference is in appearance. Going around in the U.S., I found that American youth do not really care about their appearance. In the morning, they choose something in their closet and wear it with another thing, often of different colors and styles, without wondering whether their choices make them look strange. The reason behind this is that they don’t care what people look like, but are just interested in their ideas. I think it’s great, but it also causes problems. Since they don’t care about their appearance, they don’t really care about their weight. Often they get fat without realizing it.
There are differences in relationships too. When the American youth fall in love, they don’t really think of the future. Also, there are differences in the rules concerning behavior that is allowed. In some respects, the French are more accepting. For example, in America it is generally unacceptable to make physical display of love. Lovers, actually, can’t kiss or hold each other everywhere they want. People think that not showing love in public places is a way to respect others. On the contrary, the French youth can do almost everything they want.
As for other types of relationships, there are also big differences. Americans act differently from French people in front of unknown people. When an American girl, for example, arrives in front of people she has never met before, she will talk with them, trying to create a kind of tie between her and this new circle of people. The French girls will just think about rather than really do this kind of thing because they are too shy and lacking in self-confidence.
To finish, I noticed that in American classes, when pupils want to say or ask something, they just do it. In general, they don’t really care how the others will judge them. In France, it’s not the same case. If somebody wants to ask something, he/she will think about it before speaking up. I appreciate the freedom in Americans’ behavior, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves.
【小題1】The underlined word “respects” in the third paragraph probably means____.

A．a(chǎn)pproaches

B．a(chǎn)spects

C．honors

D．means

【小題2】When American youth fall in love with each other, they _________.

A．will not hold each other

B．will rarely display their love in public

C．will always think about their future

D．will kiss wherever they like

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that French youth may think more about ______.

A．their relationship’s future	B．their public images
C．their physical displays	D．their lover’s ideas

【小題4】The passage is mainly about the______ between American youth and French youth.

A．differences

B．friendship

C．similarities

D．relationships

We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(責(zé)怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”

“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”

“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’

Blame! Blame! Blame!

It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to cheek your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．

When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回應(yīng))．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．

When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．

One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．

1.What should we do if we don’t like our life?

A．Change what we’re doing．              B．Read our minds correctly．

C．Sing that self-pitying song．               D．Tell others what we want．

2.If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may _________.

A．a(chǎn)sk somebody else to talk to them

B．do the same thing to them in return

C．talk to them and try to find out why

D．forget it and be still friendly with them

3.What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?

A．He thinks it’s impossible to change others．

B．He believes our love can change everything．

C．He chooses to talk with others directly．

D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead．

4.At the beginning of the passage three examples are given __________.

A．to support the idea that people often blame others

B．to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life

C．to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job

D．to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Blame! Blame! Blame!                    B．Who Controls My Life?

C．Change! Change! Change!                 D．What Makes Me Unhappy?

 

After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches on their cars, Japan's Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing---a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days.

The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin(彈性樹(shù)脂) that is able to heal minor marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris (石頭碎片) or even on-purpose destruction. The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works. Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once they're gone, there is no trace that they were ever there. The special paint is said to last for at least three years after it is first applied, but there is no word yet on whether more can be added after that period.

Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents. But the complete auto-healing won't come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $ 100 U.S. to the price of a car. It plans to use its new chemical mixture only on its X - Trail SUVs in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread presentation. And while plans to offer the feature overseas haven't been made yet, if it's a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores, as well.

1.From the article, we can find that_______.

A．the paint has already been used on cars by now

B．it beats other products of its kind in its lengthy effect

C．car damage is mainly caused by scratches and scrapes

D．marketing this paint in Europe is not under way

2.The paint used on cars can______.

A．last 3 years before it is re-applied again

B．fade only in a few days

C．help to protect cars from minor paint damage

D．reduce car scrape incidents to 20 percent

3.What can be inferred from the article?

A．The paint was developed by Nissan Motor Company.

B．The paint might work better in summer than in winter.

C．The mark on the car could disappear as soon as the paint is applied.

D．The paint is very popular in Japan.