Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt. 
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out. 
Though the belief in the merit (優(yōu)點) of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist (免疫學家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
【小題1】The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because ________.

A．they lived healthily in a dirty environment.

B．they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in

C．they believed disease could be spread in public baths

D．they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease

【小題2】Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing?

A．Afraid.

B．Curious.

C．Approving.

D．Uninterested.

【小題3】How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.

B．By making comparisons (比較).

C．By following the order of time.

D．By following the order of importance.

【小題4】What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To stress the role of dirt.

B．To introduce the history of dirt.

C．To call attention to the danger of dirt.

D．To present the change of views on dirt.

Barbie(芭比娃娃)，believe it or not，is 50 this year and she's still as popular as ever.A doll is a doll，but Barbie illustrates how，over the last five decades，women have become a standard for judging what freedom really means. How women are treated in different countries tells you a lot about the politics and culture of where they live.

The doll that every little girl wants enables young children to test their possibilities in role playing，giving them a glimpse of what they might be when they grow up，whether to be frivolous or serious (or both)．

But in many countries that's not an option. In Saudi Arabia，where woman can't drive or go out publicly unless covered，Barbie is banned. They think Barbie dolls are offensive to Islam(伊斯蘭教) and a threat to morality.

In America，she represents the swiftly changing roles of women. Barbie is fun to tease but she's as American as miniskirts_and_pantsuits in her flexible identities and her “growth” from model to astronaut.

Barbie inspired a doll­revolution movement. When a Teen Talk Barbie was programmed electronically to say “Math class is tough”，she was criticized by a national women's group and was regarded as a bad stereotype. Some of her critics also say she's a bad influence because she's too thin and encourages anorexia，that she has run through too many stereotypes(固定模式)，and that she lends too much significance to the fantasy stages of child's play.

In some Muslim countries, substitute Barbie dolls have been developed that promote traditional values，with their modest clothing and pro­family backgrounds. They are widely seen as an effort to resist the American dolls that have flooded the market.

Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls，saying Barbie was “foreign to Muslim culture” because some of the dolls have little clothing. She said young girls who play with Barbie，could grow into women who reject Muslim values. “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile，”Ms. Rahimi said.

1.The writer mentioned “miniskirts and pantsuits”(in Paragraph 4) to imply that ________.

A．these are the only clothes a doll should wear

B．these are very traditional American clothes for women

C．there are a range of different life options available for women

D．readers should wear these clothes more often

2.The underlined word “anorexia” (in Paragraph 5) most probably means“________”．

A．a(chǎn)n illness of refusing to eat

B．giving up math study

C．the wearing of inappropriate clothes

D．a(chǎn) decrease in people's imagination

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．children who like Barbie dolls won't be so serious when they grow up

B．Muslim Barbies are the same as American Barbies

C．Muslim societies are generally more conservative than western societies

D．Americans have no worry about Barbie's influence on children

 

The UK's education system is ranked（排列） sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
【小題1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The two different education superpowers

B．The result of one report about education system .

C．The UK's education system is worst.

D．Finland and South Korea’S education system

【小題2】According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked       in the world.

A．2nd

B．3rd

C．4th

D．5th

【小題3】All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.

A．At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.

B．Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system.

C．The United States’ education system is one of the best.

D．There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea.

【小題4】What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．比較

B．結果

C．研究

D．考試

【小題5】What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.

Now satellites are helping to forecast（預報）the weather. They are in space, and they can reach any part of the world. The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere（大氣）, because this is where the weather forms（形成）. They send these pictures to the weather stations. So meteorologists（氣象學家）can see the weather of any part of the world. From the pictures, the scientists can often say how the weather will change.

 Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite pictures. When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare（比較）them with earlier ones. Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours. This may mean that the weather on the ground may soon change, too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.

 So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for three or five days. Soon, perhaps, they may be able to forecast the weather for a week or more ahead（提前）.

1.Satellites travel _____________.

A. in space               B. in the atmosphere

C. above the ground       D. above space

2. Why do we use the weather satellites to take pictures of the atmosphere? Because __________.

A. the weather satellites can do it easily

B. clouds form there

C. the weather forms there

D. the pictures can forecast the weather

3.Meteorologists forecast the weather __________.

A. when they have received satellite pictures

B. after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones

C. before they received satellite pictures

D. during they study satellite pictures

4.The main（主要的）idea of this passage is that satellites are now used in _________.

A. taking pictures of the atmosphere

B. receiving pictures of the atmosphere

C. doing other work in many ways

D. weather forecasting