3、Many children and teenagers spend．large amounts of time playing game．Most of the games have become very complicated and realistic．And while some of them have educational content and promote l earning，problem solving and help wit h the development of motor skills，others emphasize negative themes and promote killing，fighting，criminal behavior and violence in general.

     There is growing research-on the effects of video games on children．Numerous studies show that video games，especially ones with violent content，make teens more aggressive. Children exposed to violence can become addicted to the horror of violence by imitating the violence they see，and showing more aggressive behavior themselves．Some children accept violence as a way to cope with their own problems．Studies have also shown that the more realistic is the exposure to violence，the more impressed children are．Also，children with emotional，behavioral and learning problems may be more influenced by violent images．Playing video games may increase aggressive behavior，because violent considered an effective teaching method in strengthening learning patterns．

    Children and teens who become overly Involved with video games，and，therefore，spend large amounts of time playing these games，can create problems，such as poor social skills，time absent from home，lower grades at school，less reading，less exercising and becoming overweight，aggressive thoughts，behaviors and so on．   

    Parents are responsible for helping their children in choosing books to read，toys to play    with，TV programs and movies to watch，which are appropriate for each particular child．Entertainment materials should be fun，engaging，exciting and educating. Parents should have a good knowledge and understanding of each child so that they can assist them in selecting appropriate learning materials．．Parents should invest more of their time playing the  games with their children，as well as talking with them about their impressions，thoughts  and feelings related to the playing game．They can also engage in a discussion of great values that may guide the child down a safe road and lead to the development of a moral character．

1．The best title of this passage probably is           .

    A．The Violence in Video Games             B．The Responsibilities of Parents

    C．Children and Video Games                 D．The Magic of Video Games

2．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

    A．Playing too much video games can make teens addicted to t he pleasure of it．

    B．Only by exposing to the most realistic violence can video games affect teens badly．

    C．Most children addicted to video games will deal with their problems by violence．

    D．Children with certain．problems are easier to be affected by violent games．

3．The main idea of the third paragraph might be           ．

    A．children spend too much time on video games   

    B．the more time teens spend on video games，the worse effect there will be

    C．the bad effects caused by video games

    D．1ow grades at school are usually due to video games

4．What should parents do to help their children according the author?

    A．They should respect and love their children．

B．They should spend more time with their children   

C．They should have constant discussions with their children

    D．They should recommend as many entertainment materials as possible

5．It can be inferred from the passage that          .

    A．the author tends to worry about the negative effects of video games on children

    B．the author thinks highly of the benefits brought by video games to children

    C．strong measures should be taken to prevent video games from spreading out

    D．the bad effects of video games will soon be got rid of thanks to the research

2、A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show that competition between nearby schools does not significantly improve academic standards．Indeed，their report．inclines to the opposite outcome：the exam results may actually decline where competition is fiercest．

    When the further education sector was “privatized” a few years ago，competition between colleges became truly fierce，at least in urban areas where potential students could choose between several of them. Colleges appointed highly paid marketing directors and gave them large budgets；some even “bribed（賄賂）” interested students with promises of hundreds of pounds if they completed certain courses satisfactorily． 

    Fully competitive markets being a philosophical foundation of Britain’s recent governments，it was no surprise to hear claims that many educational developments of the 1990s would move us towards a free market in secondary education--giving youngsters and their parents a free choice of where to study．However，the secondary sector did not become particularly competitive while，admittedly，the consumers have been given more information，which is one aspect of a truly free market．It is very rare that two nearby schools with at least some empty places are similar enough to be comparable yet different enough to be ranked；only where that occurs can there be true competition．

    The Open University research was probably not flawed—but its conclusions are．This is because the team did not really compare areas having true competition（as just defined）with areas that do not．

    But，let us all breathe a sigh of relief．Secondary schools had started late to move in the marketing direction--considering allocating scarce resources of staff and money to persuading the pupils that their schools are the best in the area．No schools could afford to do that properly，so it is a relief to realize this research tells us we don’t have to．

    Competition? We haven’t got time for it! Let’s spend our small budget in teaching and learning，not in competing and marketing．

1．It is indicated in the passage that competition between schools results in            ．

    A．higher enrollment rate

    B．lower academic standard

    C．higher marketing expenses

    D．privatization of further education

2．Real competition can happen only when              .

    A．a(chǎn)cademic standard is improved

    B．there are comparable schools with different educational qualities

    C．students have different interests

    D．schools of all areas have sufficient budget for their development

3．According to the passage，the free market in secondary education              ．

    A．only provides consumers with more information

    B．is more competitive than the higher education market

    C．means there will be more Intensive competition than in colleges

    D．is a real surprise se to Britain’s recent government

4．The author of the passage feels relieved that                 ．

    A．secondary schools have to market themselves

    B．most secondary schools have scarce resources of staff and money

    C．the research by Open University proves that most secondary schools are the best in its area

    D．schools needn’t prove that they are the best

5．What might be the author’s attitude towards competitions between nearby schools?

    A．The author Is in favor obvious kinds of competition．

    B．The author doesn't care about any competition and its result．

    C．The author is not certain of the effect of competitions．

    D．The author is against the competitions among the universities

27、—Never thought to see you here!

—_______

A．It’s a small world．                                     B．So did I． 

C．Oh, haven’t you?                                        D．Glad to meet you．

26、—This is the first time I_______ my first picture with my own hands．

—It is time that you _______a picture for me．

A．took; took                                                 B．have taken; took

C．took; will take?                                         D．will take; have taken

24、Getting a good night sleep is directly related ____ not only how we feel next day but our long-term health as well．

A．in             B．from             C．through              D．to