19. Conditions for the growth of this plant areoptimum in early summer. A. most acceptable B. most expressive C. most favorite D. most desirable 20. She often says her greatest happinessconsists in helping the disadvantaged children. A. is proportionate to B. is composed of C. lies in D. relies on Part III Reading Comprehension (25 points) Section A Directions: In this section, there arefourpassages followed by questions or unfinishedstatements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose thebest answer and mark your answer on the Answer Sheet. Passage One Of all the lessons taught by the financial crisis, the most personal has been that Americans aren’t so good at money-management. We take out home loans we can't afford.We run up sky-high credit-card debt. We don't save nearly enough forretirement. In response, supporters of financial-literacy education are moving with renewed enthusiasm. School districts in states such as New Jersey and Illinois are adding money-management courses to their curriculums . The Treasury and Education departments are sending lesson plans to high schools and encouraging students to compete in the National Financial Capability Challenge that begins in March. Students with top scores on that exam will receive certificates -but chances for long-term benefits are slim. As it turns out, there is little evidence that traditional effortsto boost financial know-how help students make better decisions outside the classroom.Even as the financial-literacy movement has gained steam over the past decade, scores have been falling on tests that measure how well students learn about things such asbudgeting, credit cards, insurance and investments. A recent survey of college studentsconducted for the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy found thatstudents who'd had a personal-finance or money-management course in high schoolscored no better than those who hadn't. "We need to figure out how to do this the right way,"says Lewis Mandell, a
professor at the University of Washington who after 15 years of studyingfinancial-literacy programs has come to the conclusion that current methods don't work.A growing number of researchers and educators agree that a more radical approach isneeded. They advocate starting financial education a lot earlier than high school, puttingreal money and spending decisions into kids' hands and talking openly about theemotions and social influences tied to how we spend . Other initiatives are tacking such real-world issues as the commercial andsocial pressures that affect purchasing decisions.Why exactly do you want those expensive brand-name shoes so badly? "It takes confidence to take a stand and to thinkdifferently," saysJerooBillimoria ,founder of Aflatoun,a nonprofit whose curriculum, used in more than 30 countries ,aims to help kids get a leg up in their financial lives .” “This goes beyond money and savings" 21. The financial-literacy education is intended to________. A. help Americans to overcome the financial crisis B. enable Americans to manage money wisely C. increase Americans' awareness of the financial crisis D. renew Americans' enthusiasm about money-management 22. According to the author, the National Financial Capability Challenge will be_______. A. well-receivedB. costly C. rewardingD. ineffective 23.Bysaying that "the financial-literacy movement has gained steam"(Para .3) ,theauthor means that the movement______. A.has gone through financial difficulties B. has received much criticism C. has been regarded as imaginative D. has been more and more popular
24. Lewis Mandell suggests that we should figure out how to ________. A.help students scorebetter in money-management courses B. improve the social awareness of financial education C. carry out financial-literacy education properly D. manage money in a more efficient way 25. Jeroo Billimoria is most likely to agree thatcommercial and social pressures makeone's purchasing decisions________. A. difficultB.feasible C. unwiseD. acceptable Passage Two Cheating is nothing new,But today,educators and administrators are finding that instances of academic dishonesty on the part of students have become more frequent -and are less likely to be punished - than in the past . Cheating appears to have gainedacceptance among good and poor students alike . Why is student cheating on the rise? No one really knows .Some blame the trend on a general loosening of moral values among today's youth. Others have attributedincreased cheating to the fact that today's youth are far more pragmatic（实用主义的）than their more idealistic predecessors.Whereas in the late sixties and early seventies，students were filled with visions about changing the world，today’s students feel greatpressure to conform and succeed. In interviews with students at high schools andcolleges around the country, both young men and women said that cheating had becomeeasy. Some suggested they did it out of spite for teachers they did not respect. Others looked at it as a game. Only if they were caught, some said, would they feel guilty."People are competitive," said a second-yearcollege student named Anna, fromChicago. There's an underlying fear. If you don't do well, your life is going to be ruined.The pressure is not only form parents and friends but from oneself .To achieve .To succeed .It’s almost as though we have to outdo other people to achieve our own goals, Edward Wynne , a magazine editor ,blames the rise in academic dishonesty on the schools. He claims that administrators and teachers have been too hesitant to take action .Dwight Huber ,chairman of the English department at Amarillo .sees the matterdifferently, blaming the rise in cheating on the way students are evaluated. "I wouldcheat if I felt I was being cheated," Mr. Huber said. He feels that as long as teachers gives short-answer testsrather than essay questions and rate students by the number of facts they can memorize rather than by how well they can put information together,students will try to beat the system. "The concept of cheating is based on the false assumption that the system is legitimate and there is something wrong withthe individual who are doing it," he said. "That's too easy an answer. We've got to start looking at the system." 26. Educators are finding that students who cheat_______. A. are not only those academically weak B. tend to be dishonest in later years C.are more likely to be punished than before D. have poor academic records 27. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? A. Reform in the testing system will eliminate cheating. B. Punishment is an effective method to stop cheating . . C. Students' cheating has deep social roots. D. Students do not cheat on essay tests. 28. Which of the following points of view would Mr. Huberagree with ? A. Cheating would be reduced through an educational reform. B. Students who cheat should be expelled from school. C. Punishment for cheaters should be severe in this country. D. Parents must take responsibility for the rise in cheating. 29. The expression "the individuals" (the last paragraph) refers to ________ A. school administrators B. students who cheat C. parents D. teachers
30. The passage mainly discusses_______ A: ways to eliminate academic dishonesty B: factors leading to academic dishonesty C: the decline of moral standards of today's youth D: people's tolerance of students' cheating Passage Three Last week, I read a story about a 34-year-old British woman who is extremely afraid of metal forks. She's been using plastic ones for 17 years because the sound of a fork rubbing against a plate g:ives her a panic attack. Strange, right? But she's not alone. While popular phobias(恐惧症) about snakes and spiders might get all of the attention, there are a wide variety of not-so-obvious horrors that make people nervous. While some phobias might seem a bit silly, they can cause serious emotional distress. My co-worker Magda is terrified of pigeons, a phobia that is taking over her life. She won't walk in certain parts of the city and runs screaming from the subway when one of these "rats with wings" finds its way onto the platform. Another friend isdisgusted with cheese. Once I saw her run away from a slice of it. So where does anirrational fear of cheese come from? Are phobias something we inherit from our genes or do we acquire these unusualanxieties over time? Ever since I can remember I have been unreasonably frightened of elevators. Therewas no terrible childhood experience and I am fine with confined spaces, but something about elevators makes me nervous. And so, when my boyfriend and I found ourselvestrapped in an elevator last year - because these sorts of things always happen eventually- I was anticipating the worst. While he gave me a suggestive eyebrow raise and proposed we "take advantage ofthe situation," I began screaming uncontrollably. I was far from turned on by the wholefacing my worst nightmare thing. However, after the fear subsided(消退)I realized that, yes, this was my greatest fear come true, and yet - it wasn't all that bad. Nervous and inconvenient maybe, butterrifying? Not so much. Liberating yourself from a deep-seated phobia can be a long and difficult process,but sometimes it can be as simple as confronting it head on. 31. The 34-year-old British woman is extremelyafraid of metal forks because A.she has never used them before B.she has been injured by them before C.she couldn't bear their sound on plate D.she is afraid that they may hurt her 32. The phrase "rats with wings" (Para. 3) refers to______ A. strange birdsB. pigeons C.devilsD. exotic rats 33. The author's fear of elevators is the result of_______ A. her phobia for no reason B. her nervousness of being alone C. her dislike of being in closed spaces D. her terrible experience 34. After the fear subsided, the author realized that______ A. her boyfriend's help was important B. she could have had a good time with her boyfriend C. an elevator ride could be exciting D. it was not as horrible as she had thought 35. The purpose for the author to share her experience is to_______ A. illustrate conquering a fear can be difficult B. encourage people to overcome their fears C. introduce what strange fears people have D. explain why people have strange fears Passage Four The American public's obsession with dieting has led to one of the most dangeroushealth misconceptions of all times. Many television ads, movies, magazine articles, anddiet-food product labels would have consumers believe that carbohydrates (碳水化合物) are bad for the human body and that those who eat them will quickly becomeoverweight. We are advised to avoid foods such as potatoes, rice and white bread andopt for meats and vegetables instead. Some companies promote this idea to encourageconsumers to buy their "carb-free" food products. But the truth is, the human bodyneeds carbohydrates to function properly, and a body that relies on carbohydrates but isexhausted of thisdietary element is not in good shape after all. Most foods that we consume on a daily basis like potatoes and rice are loaded withcarbohydrates. Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates have many health benefitssome fight diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease, and others help toprevent cancer and stroke. Cutting these foods out of your diet may deprive your bodyof the many health benefits of carbohydrates. One of the best benefits of carbohydrates is their ability to help to maintain the health of our organs, tissues, and cells. Scientific studies have shown that one type of carbohydrate called fiber reduces the risk of heart disease. Carbohydrates also contain antioxidants (抗氧化剂) , which protect the body's cells from harmful particles with thepotential to cause cancer. This does not mean that the human body can survive on a diet composed entirely ofcarbohydrates. We also need certain percentages of proteins and fats to maintain healthybodies. But carbohydrates certainly should not be avoided altogether. In fact, the foodpyramid, the recommended basis of a healthy diet, shows that a person should consumesix to eleven servings of breads and grains, as well as three to four servings each offruits and vegetables - all carbohydrate-containing foods. It is easy to see why cuttingcarbohydrates out of a person's diet is not a good idea. The only way to know what is truly healthy for your own body is to talk to a nutritionist or dietician, who can help you choose foods that are right for you as well asguide you toward a proper exercise program forweight loss, or muscle gain. Theseprofessionals will never tell you to cut out carbohydrates entirely! The bottom line:listen to the experts, not the advertisers!
36. As is used in Paragraph l, the word "exhausted" most possibly means______ A. derivedB. deprived C. startledD. starving 37. According to the author, advertisers who sell “carb-free” products_______ A. offer healthy optionsB. are responsible for obesity C. are not telling the truthD. value consumers' well-being 38. Which of the following is NOT one of the health benefits of carbohydrates? A. Prevention of fiber reduction. B. Prevention of heart disease. C. Prevention of stroke. D. Prevention of cancer. 39. It can be inferred from the passage that a healthy diet . A. needs enough proteins but no fat for us to maintain energy B. is balanced between carbohydrates, and proteins and fats C. is low in carbohydrates and high in proteins and fats D. contains equal amounts of carbohydrates and proteins 40. The main purpose of the passage is to A. promote more physical exercise B. advocate a healthy diet C. describe the variety of carbohydrates D. explain how to live a healthy life Section B Directions: In this section, you are required to read one quoted blog and the commentson it. The blog and comments are followed by questions or unfinishedstatements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose thebest answer and mark your answer onthe Answer Sheet One of the central principles of raising kids in America is that parents should be actively involved in their children's education: meeting with teachers, volunteering atschoolhelping with homework, and doing a hundred other things that few workingparents have time for. These obligations are so baked into American values that fewparents stop to ask whether they’re worth the effort. Until this January, few researchers did, either. In the largest-ever study of howparental involvement affects academic achievement, Keith Robinson and Angel L.Harris, two sociology professors at Duke, found that mostly it doesn’t. The researcherscombed through nearly three decades' worth of surveys of American parents and tracked63 different measures of parental participation in kids' academic lives, from helpingthem with homework, to talking with them about college plans. In an attempt to show whether the kids of more-involved parents improved over time, the researchers indexedthese measures to children's academic performance, including test scores in reading and math. What they found surprised them. Most measurable forms of parental involvement seem to yield few academic dividends for kids, or even to backfire(适得其反) -regardless of a parent's race, class, or level of education. Do you review your daughter's homework every night? Robinson and Harris's data show that this won’t help her score higher on standardized tests. Once kids enter middle school, parental help with homework can actually bring test scores down, an effect Robinson says could be caused by the fact that many parents may have forgotten, or never truly understood, the material their children learn in school. While Robinson and Harris largely disproved that assumption, they did find ahandful of habits that make a difference, such as reading aloud to young kids (fewerthan half of whom are read to daily) and talking with teenagers about college plans. Butthese interventions don't take place at school or in the presence of teachers, wherepolicymakers have the most influence - they take place at home. Comment 1: Basically the choice is whether one wants to let kids to be kids. Persistent parentalinvolvement and constantly communicating to the kids on what the parents wantconsciously or unconsciously would help the kids grow up or think like the parentssooner than otherwise. Comment 2: It also depends on the kid. Emotional and social maturityhave a lot to do withsuccess in college and in life. Some kids may have the brains and are bored by highschool, but that doesn't mean they are ready for college or the work place. Comment 3: The article doesn't clearly define "helping," but I understood it as actually assistingchildren in the exercises (e.g. helping them to solve a math problem) and/or reviewingtheir work for accuracy rather than simply making sure they've completed their work. Ithink the latter is more helpful than the former. I would also certainly hope that no studywould discourage parents from monitoring their children's performance! 41. The word "they" (Para. l) refers to . A. studies B. principles C. values D. obligations 42. What is the main conclusion of the Robinson and Harris’s study? A. The kids of more-involved parents improve over time. B. Parental involvement may not necessarily benefit children. C. Parental involvement works better with low-achievers. D. Schools should communicate with parents regularly. 43. Comment1 suggests that A. parents should leave their children alone B. kids should be kids after all C. parents may influence children's thinking D. persistent parental involvement is a must 44. The writer of Comment 2 would probably agree that A. high intelligence does not guarantee success B. getting ready for college is an emotional process C. social maturity is sufficient to achieve success in life D. high school is often boring in the U.S. 45. Which of the following parental helps will the writer of Comment 3 consider proper? A. Reviewing kids' homework for accuracy. B. Monitoring kids' class performance. C. Assisting kids in their exercises. D. Making sure kids have finished their work Part IV Cloze (10 points) Directions: In this part, there is a passage with ten blanks. For each blank thereare four choices marked, A, B, C,and D.Choose the bestanswerfor each blankand mark your answer on the Answer Sheet. Ironically, a study finds that we’re awful gift-givers precisely because we spend too much time trying to be considerate.We imagine our friends 46 a gift that is impressive,expensive,and sentimental. We imagine the look of happinessand surprise on their faces and the warmth we feel. 47 .But there’s something thatthe most sentimental-gift-givers tend not to think too much about: 48 the gift is practical in the first place. 49 , practicality seems like an enemy of great gift giving. Beautiful jewelry, lovely watches, perfect rugs, finely crafted kitchen hardware: These things50great gifts because they communicate something beyond practicality. Theycommunicate that the giver cares. But do the receivers care? Often,no. "Gift receivers would be 51 ifgivers gave them exactly what they requested 52 . attemptingto be'thoughtful and considerate' by buying gifts they did not explicitly request" to surprisethem, the researchers write. Their clever paper asks givers and receivers to 53 gifts from two perspectives: desirability (e.g. the cost of a coffee maker) and feasibility(e.g. the 54 of the coffee maker).Across several experiments, theyfind that givers consistently give gifts based on desirability and receivers 55 favor gifts based on feasibility . 46.A. to open B. opening C. have opened D. opened 47. A. in person B. in turn C. in place D. in return 48. A. Whether B. When C. Why D. How 49. A. To be sure B. To sum up C. In many ways D. In many cases 50.A. work out B. lead to C. make for D. take up 51.A.happier B. more surprised C. happy D. surprised 52.A.regardless of B. rather than C. as toD.but for 53.A. decide B. classify C. select D. measure 54.A. look B. quality C. nevertheless D. ease 55.A. unexpectedly B. whereas C. nevertheless D. continuously Part V Text Completion (20 points) Directions: In this part, there are three incomplete texts with 20 questions(Ranging from 56 to75).Above each text there are three or four phrases to becompleted. First, usethe choices provided in the box to complete thephrases. Second, use the completed phrasesto fill in the blanks of the text. Mark your answer on the Answer Sheet. Text One A. accelerate B. otherwise C. between D.imitate Phrases: A. would be difficult to 56 B. from 57 its feathers C. enabling the bird to 58 D. it 59 could
The emperor penguin traps air in its feathers. Not only does this insulate thebird against extreme cold but it also enables it to move two or three times fasterthan60How? Marine biologists have suggested that it does so byreleasing tiny air bubbles 61 .As these bubbles are released, the reduce friction on the surface of the penguin's wings, 62 . Interestingly, engineers have been studying ways to make ships go faster byusing bubbles to reduce friction against their hulls (船身 ) . However, researchersacknowledge that further investigation is challenging because "the complexity ofpenguin’s wings 63 Text Two A. beyond B. as well as C. sending Phrases: A. 64 the wages of average families B. 65 young people to college C. 66 the reach ofmostAmericans A research group in California has released a "national report cardon highereducation." The report says the price of college has increased more than four hundred percent since 1982. Costs have climbed much faster than other prices - 67 ． Thegroup warns that a continuation of these trends would put higher education 68 .And it would mean greater debt for those who do go to college. The reportalso expresses concern that the United States is losing its leadership in 69 . Text Three A. so B. hire them C. watching TV Phrases: A. and understandably 70 B. that could be spent 71 C. that the companies that72 want money Children are a special target of advertisers, 73 . Young people are shopping and spending more than ever before. Researchers suggest that children who are highly involved in consumer culture are more prone to childhood depression and anxiety and have worse relationships with their parents. They said: "You cannot totally protect your kids from advertising because it is everywhere. So you can explain to your kids that advertisers have an agenda and 74 . They don't have our best interests in mind." They also suggest that family should watch very little television. You can fill the time 75 with other activities, such as reading and playing games together.
