We find that bright children are rarely held back by mix-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade!
Besides, it is rather unusual to grade pupils just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning.
In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to deal with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher.
Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is proper. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. And advanced pupil can do advanced work. It doesn’t matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to obtain this goal.
小題1:By “held back” (the underlined part of the first sentence) the author means “______”.

A．drawn to their studies	B．prevented from advancing
C．made to remain in the same class	D．forced to study in the lower class

小題2:The author argues that a teacher’s chief concern should be the development of the pupil’s ______.

A．total personality	B．intellectual ability
C．personal qualities	D．communicative skills

小題3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the third paragraph?

A．Pupils also learn to develop their reasoning abilities.

B．Pupils also learn how to participate in teaching activities.

C．Group work gives pupils the opportunity to learn to work together with others.

D．Group work provides pupils with the opportunity to learn to be good organizers.

One day, Mr. Arnold was teaching a lesson, and things were going as normally as ever. He was explaining the story of mankind to his pupils. He told them that, in the beginning, men were nomads; they never stayed in the same place for very long. Instead, they would travel about, here and there, in search of food, wherever it was to be found. And when the food ran out, they would move off somewhere else.
He taught them about the invention of farming and keeping animals. This was an important discovery, because by learning to cultivate(耕作)the land, and care for animals, mankind would always have food steadily available. It also meant that people could remain living in one place, and this made it easier to set about tasks that would take a long while to complete, like building towns, cities, and all that were in them. All the children were listening attracted by this story, until Lucy jumped up:
“And if that was so important and improved everything so much, why are we nomads all over again, Mr. Arnold?”
Mr. Arnold didn’t know what to say. Lucy was a very intelligent girl. He knew that she lived with her parents in a house, so she must know that her family were not nomads; so what did she mean?
“We have all become nomads again,” continued Lucy, “The other day, outside the city, they were cutting the forest down. A while ago a fisherman told me how they fish. It’s the same with everyone: when there’s no more forest left the foresters go elsewhere, and when the fish run out the fishermen move on. That’s what the nomads did, isn’t it ?
The teacher nodded, thoughtfully. Really, Lucy was right Mankind had turned into nomads. Instead of looking after the land in a way that we could be sure it would keep supplying our needs, we kept developing it until the land was bare. And then off we would go to the next place! The class spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what they could do to show how to be more civilized.
The next day everyone attended class wearing a green T-shirt, with a message that said “I am not a nomad!”
And , from then on, they set about showing that indeed they were not. Every time they knew they needed something, they made sure that they would get it using care and control. If they needed wood or paper, they would make sure that they got the recycled kind. They ordered their fish from fish farms, making sure that the fish they received were not too young and too small. They only used animals that were well cared for, and brought up on farms.
And so, from their little town, those children managed to give up being nomads again, just as prehistoric men had done, so many thousands of years ago.
小題1:From Paragraph 2, we can know that______ .

A．people got tired of living in the same place

B．people gradually got used to living in cities

C．people tended to settle down after learning farming

D．people spent a long time in learning to keep animals

小題2:In the teacher’s opinion, Lucy’s argument was______

A．shocking

B．ridiculous

C．puzzling

D．reasonable

小題3:Which of the following agrees with the message “I am not a nomad” (Paragraph 7)?

A．People eat young fish for its delicious taste.

B．Foresters leave the place where wood is not available.

C．Fishermen move elsewhere when there is no fish left.

D．People use recycled materials as much as possible.

小題4:The writer tries to make us believe that ______.

A．mankind has been progressing mainly through traveling about

B．it’s unwise for mankind to use the land in an uncontrolled way

C．it’s quite good for students to learn more about the history of mankind

D．in the beginning men were nomads.

We live in a dangerous world. The figures for crime go up year by year. If you were attacked in the street, would you be able to defend yourself? Not very well probably, especially if someone was pointing a gun at you. We all see a lot of violence of films, but recently some programs on television showed how people can defend themselves without guns. For example, in one film a woman was attacked from behind. She threw the man, who was heavier and stronger than she was, over her head. Then she held him tightly on the ground. How? She knew Judo.
Jiu-jitsu, as judo is sometimes called, means "muscle science" in Japanese. The student of judo needs to learn a lot about the body, its bones and muscles. Judo uses a number of "falls", "holds" and "throws". Someone who does not know judo cannot defend himself against them. If you know judo you can defend yourself against a person who is stronger than you. You had better not practice judo on your friends unless they can fall without hurting themselves! Being strong is one thing, but using the body wisely is another. In judo, you use the other person's body to help you. You "throw" him to the ground and "hold" him there, so that he cannot move. Of course, it takes time and practice, but knowing judo is useful. In a violent world you ought to be able to defend yourself.
小題1:According to passage, in fact "judo" is ______.

A．the same as "Jiu-jitsu"	B．a(chǎn) kind of fighting
C． a kind of muscle science	D．is helpful to a strong man

小題2:Why does the writer say the world is dangerous?

A． The number of violence and crime is increasing every year.

B．Because many people carry guns.

C．Because there too many films.

D．Because people are not able to defend themselves.

小題3:Which of the following statement is true about the woman in the passage?

A．The woman held the man over her head.

B．The woman was heavier than the man.

C．The woman was able to defend herself.

D．The woman attacked the man from behind.

小題4:If a man knows judo, he ______.

A．will be good at muscle science.

B．will be able to avoid being attacked from his back.

C．may defeat any strong person.

D．can help himself by using the other person's body

小題5:What's the best title for this short passage?

A．How to defend oneself	B．Violence in films
C．How to practise judo	D．Something about judo

As they migrate, butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may use some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate(補(bǔ)償, 彌補(bǔ)). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found that butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help farmers decide when to spray their crops.
小題1:What's the main idea of the text?

A．Insects migrate with the seasons.

B．The wind helps insects greatly in migrating.

C．Windsurfing insects have real direction.

D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects.

小題2:Scientists originally thought that _____.

A．insects always waited for their favorable winds

B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride

C．insects were just blown about by the wind

D．insects positioned themselves in the winds

小題3:It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ______.

A．the little creatures can fly very fast

B．their flight is long and high above ground

C．the wind's direction is hard to forecast

D．they have no regular migrating courses

小題4:According to the passage, the findings can ____

A．increase insects in number

B．instruct farmers when to spray their crops

C．prevent climate warming

D．help protect insects

Over the past decade, cheating—an act of academic dishonesty—has become more and more common.
The latest statistics shows more than two thirds of high school students admitted cheating on an exam last year, and—even more surprising—often the best students cheat to get to the top of their class—and they don’t think it is wrong. It’s not a big deal. Everybody is doing it.
It is a big deal! Cheating is basically wrong and must be punished.
If students easily get away with it, they might be encouraged to do it again. They won’t realize that this—in the broadest sense—is an attack on our society, which is based on values like honesty and fairness. The present spreading of cheating indicates a loss of those values and cannot be tolerated. An appropriate punishment for cheating incidents would make students aware of their misbehavior.
If no one were punished for cheating, who would ever study for an exam? Tons of papers would be lifted from websites, writing crib sheets would be more important than reviewing the subjects, and highly sophisticated cheating arts would be invented. Knowledge would only exist on the Internet and on cleverly created cheat sheets, but not in the minds of the students—a rather bad precondition to enrich our society wisely and intelligently.
Students have to learn that they have to learn. Only doing what’s right will bring them a feeling of pride and accomplishment and create self-confidence—the building blocks for a successful and satisfying life and a society that keeps its values.
小題1:What is more surprising is that       .

A．cheating is very common in schools

B．over 2/3 of the students cheat last year

C．even the best students cheat on exams

D．teachers are not aware of the problems

小題2:How do they make the students realize their misbehavior?

A．By letting them getting away with it.

B．By telling them what is right.

C．By catching them on the spot.

D．By giving them some punishment.

小題3:How can students create self-confidence?

A．By knowing they have to learn.

B．By doing what is right.

C．By learning the right things.

D．By being punished when cheating.

小題4:What does the underlined word “l(fā)ifted” mean?

A．taken

B．removed

C．copied

D．written

International experts meeting in Australia say global carbon emissions (排放) can be reduced by more than 50 percent through simple energy saving measures. People at a conference in Australia, which increasingly relies on coal for power, say that reducing power consumption is an affordable way to both cut energy costs and reduce pollution.
While many nations turn to cheap and dirty energy sources, such as coal, to meet their increasing energy needs, analysts in Australia say the best way to meet those needs is to improve energy efficiency.
A range of simple solutions include using energy-efficient homes, household appliances and lighting, and driving electric cars. Encouraging homeowners and office workers to switch off their televisions and computers at the end of the day is also seen as an effective way to save electricity.
Grayson Heffner, from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, says reducing consumption could greatly cut global carbon emissions. He calls efficiency strategies (策略) the “soft giant” of clean energy.
“We forecast that energy efficiency will deliver something like three-quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the next 20 years. So in the short term energy efficiency is the main way that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions but oftentimes it is not so importantly stressed in the discussions,” said Heffner.
Energy experts working in China say the government is making significant cuts in power usage.
Wan Xingwang, a Beijing-based representative of the Energy Foundation, a U.S. non-government organization, says the results have been impressive.
“In the past five years China achieved about 19.1 percent of energy reduction of its GDP. That translates to something like more than 600 million tons of coal savings,” said Wan Xingwang.
While most nations have some sort of government-sponsored energy efficiency programs, energy analysts say initiatives (主動(dòng)性) by individuals and companies can also help cut demand.
Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, a non-profit group based in Washington, says other developing nations are recognizing the benefits of cutting power consumption and taking action.
小題1:To increase their energy supplies, many nations _____________________.

A．turn to new energy	B．turn to cheap energy
C．develop solar energy	D．introduce clean energy

小題2:Which of the following cannot help to reduce energy consumption effectively?

A．Using electronic products in small size.

B．Using more electric cars.

C．Turning off computers after work.

D．Building energy-efficient houses.

小題3:What can we learn from what Grayson Heffner said?

A．75% of the greenhouse gas emissions can easily be cut in the next 20 years.

B．Ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be discussed.

C．Using clean energy is the strategy to cut global carbon emissions.

D．The key to reducing greenhouse gases in the short term is to improve energy efficiency.

小題4:According to the last two paragraphs, which of the following statements is true?

A．The programs reducing energy consumption shouldn’t be sponsored by individuals and companies.

B．All nations have government-sponsored energy efficiency programs.

C．It is time that all nations should combine their efforts to save energy.

D．Some developing nations are taking action to cut power consumption.

Going back to school is a very exciting event for my two boys. It means getting new school bags and books, and seeing friends again after the summer holiday.
My oldest son, 9-year-old Salem, asked me several times where we would go to buy a backpack, while my other son, 6-year-old Abdullah, asked what school would be like this year.
For the last three years, school was a nightmare for many children and their parents as violence increased and there were more attacks on schools and teachers. As a result, many parents prevented their children from going to school. One of six children in this country did not attend primary school in 2009. Many kids who did attend school were accompanied by a parent for the entire day to make sure nothing happened to their children.
For poor families or those with large families, back to school can be an expensive time. The government gives some help to those living in poor neighborhoods, and school bags, note books and other items(商品) are given for free.
Most of the merchants who sell notebooks and pens now sell their products out on the street instead of in stores. They sit on the ground and lay their items on the ground or they have a small table to sell their goods.
The bags cost between $10 and $20, while clothes and shoes cost between $20 and $30. I found all the things I needed for my sons and even bought something for myself. I spent about $50 on each of them, including school uniforms.
At the end of the day, we returned to our home carrying many shopping bags filled with items that made my children happy and excited to go back to school. I just hope this school year will be a peaceful one.
小題1:The author’s children are ________ to go to school.

A．eager

B．a(chǎn)fraid

C．unwilling

D．surprised

小題2:The underlined word “nightmare” is the closest in meaning to ________.

A．fantasy

B．dream world

C．prison

D．terrible situation

小題3:Many children are not going to school mainly because of ________.

A．the terrible education system	B．security problems and poverty
C．parents’ distrust in schools	D．the government’s inability

小題4:As a parent, the author ________.

A．is unable to afford his kids’ schooling	B．is unwilling to send his kids to school
C．hopes his kids have a happy school life	D．complains school education costs too much

小題5:Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A．Many parents prevented their children from going to school for great study pressure.

B．School bags, note books and other items(商品) are given to those living in poor neighborhoods for free.

C．The author spent about $100 for her two sons.

D．The items the author bought made her children happy and excited to go back to school.

A long time ago, before human beings lived on the earth, little coral polyps（水螅）settled around tropical （熱帶的）coastlines and constructed corals. Over a long period they created lots of reefs. Yet, pollution, climate change and commercial fisheries are limiting the chance of future generations knowing or seeing many of the reefs and sea creatures that exist. Hence, take action to dive now and you can explore the underwater world.
Commercial underwater diving began in ancient Greece. Diving in general means that the whole body is completely in water. On that account there are lots of exciting and quite adventurous ways to dive, like shark cage diving, scuba diving（戴水肺潛水）and reef diving.
There are great coral reefs all over the world, but usually they are situated in warm, clear water such as the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where they grow best. This is why there are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa. However, South Africa’s east coast offers much brightly coloured sea life.
In South Africa more than 100,000 dives a year are made just in coral reefs, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. To see the whole beauty of the reef the right diving gear（設(shè)備） is an essential requirement. This means a perfect fitting diving mask and fins, as well as a snorkel（呼吸管）and a friend. Diving alone is dangerous because there may be strong currents you are not aware of, and it’s a lot more fun to share the experience with someone. However, before you can explore the deeper sea, a certificated and checked scuba, a wetsuit and of course a license will be needed. Whether you choose the snorkel or the scuba to spot the colourful underwater world, try to touch as little as possible, be careful with the corals and don’t strike the fishes, because the complex ecosystem is very sensitive.
小題1:The following factors probably affect coral reefs EXCEPT ________.

A．sea creatures

B．pollution

C．fishing

D．climate change

小題2:Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Human beings appeared before corals were created.

B．One needs a license to dive into the deeper sea.

C．Diving alone has many advantages.

D．The origin of diving is in modern Greece.

小題3:There are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa probably because of a lack of ________.

A．large waters and soft sand

B．warm currents and delicious food

C．friendly creatures and flat seabed

D．clear water and suitable temperature

小題4:The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A．diving alone under the sea is rather dangerous

B．some matters we need pay attention to when diving

C．South Africa is a popular place for diving

D．what we should wear when diving

US universities are among the best in the world. Since World War Ⅱ, American scientists --- mostly working in universties or colleges --- have won more than half of all Nobel Prizes in physics and medicine. Foreign students rush to the United States by the tens of thousands. Last year they earned more than one quarter of the doctoral degrees awarded in the country. Yet while American universities produce the great research and great graduate program, they sometimes pay little attention to the task that lies at their very core: the teaching of undergraduate students.
With the increase in fees, educators feel obliged to improve undergraduate teaching. In speeches and interviews the nation’s higher educators have rediscovered teaching. Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities,  said,  “Our organization was never very concerned about teaching. In the last 18 months, we have spent more time on undergraduate education than on any other subject.”
Despite such promising efforts, no one doubts that research still outranks teaching at some of the leading universities, not least because it is a surer and faster way to earn status. Some people don’t think it has to be that way. They argue that the reward system for college faculty can be changed, so that professors will be encouraged to devote more time and effort to teaching. They say that they are beginning to believe that the first ten years of the 21st century may come to be remembered as the decade of the undergraduate.
That would bring it full circle. For more than two centuries after the founding of Harvard College in 1636, the instruction of undergraduate students was an essential condition of American higher education.
小題1:According to the passage, at some of the leading American universities ________.

A．research is declining in importance	B．teaching now ranks above research
C．teaching is a sure way to gain position	D．research still ranks above teaching

小題2:It is implied in the passage that about 200 years ago undergraduate instruction ________.

A．began to change all of a sudden

B．was already threatened by research work

C．was the central part of higher education

D．began to be neglected in most universities

小題3:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．University education in the US	B．University education challenged
C．Teaching and research in universities	D．Undergraduate teaching rediscovered

Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don't hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."
小題1:By saying ＂don’t hold your breath＂, the author advised the reader not to _____.

A．keep silent

B．give up

C．expect so

D．be afraid

小題2:Dr Smith concludes there probably aren’t any aliens because other planets _____.

A．a(chǎn)re too far away from the earth

B．a(chǎn)re different from the Earth in size

C．don’t have rich natural resources

D．don’t have a suitable living environment

小題3:Researchers from the University of London are mentioned to show that ______.

A．they have better explanations about aliens

B．a(chǎn)liens certainly exist on many planets

C．they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion

D．a(chǎn)liens can pick up signals from the earth

小題4:What’s the main idea of the text?

A．There must be other life forms in the universe.

B．We can communicate with aliens in decades.

C．The chances of finding aliens are slight.

D．Many other planets are quite different from the Earth.