Children who speak English as their first language are now a minority in inner-city London primary schools，official figures show.
Youngsters with foreign mother tongues form a majority at primary schools in 13 out of33 London cities. Across the country，English is a foreign language to more than one in seven primary school youngsters.
The figures from the Department for Children，Schools and Families (DCSF) point to major demographic (人口的) changes over the past few decades，with around a fifth of pupils now coming from ethnic minorities.
There are concerns that school finances are coming under stress from the growing numbers of youngsters requiring help with English. The government has been urged to provide more funding，and give fair treatment to schools with large concentrations of non-English speakers.
In Tower Hamlets almost four out of five youngsters do not have English as their mother tongue. In other areas，including Leicester，Luton and Bradford the proportion approaches 50 percent.
The figures indicate that many recent migrants have settled in London. Sir Andrew Green，Founder and Chairman of Migration Watch UK，says，“These figures confirm the huge impact immigration is having on our society. When government funds are as tight as they are，this is bound to have a negative impact，since children for whom English is a second language need extra tuition (学费).”He adds，“In inner London it's hard to know with whom immigrant chil­dren are supposed to practice English，since the number of immigrant children is much larger than that of local. ”
A spokesman for DCSF stresses that the figures “only indicate the language to which a child was initially exposed at home，regardless of whether he or she comes to speak English fluently later on. It is only a relatively few recent arrivals for whom communication problems are serious”.“We are increasing funding to the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (助学金)to £206 million by 2010，to help bring students weak in English up to speed. We’re also equipping schools to offer effective English as an Additional Language teaching to new arrivals，”he adds
72.A minority of London primary school students speak English as their first language because
      .
A. local children prefer to speak other languages
B. more and more immigrant children are attending school in London
C. children learning English as an additional language need extra tuition
D. English is too difficult a language for primary school children to learn
73.Some people worry about      .
A. the increasing number of adults needing help with English
B. the government taking no measures to help the schools
C. non-English speakers putting school finances under stress
D. London schools not providing adequate service for children in need
74.It can be inferred from the passage that         .
A. most immigrant children make a great effort to learn English
B. the government used to treat non-English speakers unfairly
C. it's not easy to find English speakers for immigrant children in some parts of London to communicate with
D. local children are influenced by immigrant children
75.According to the spokesman for DCSF，the figures indi­cate       .
A. that children will speak English fluently later on
B. that immigration is having a huge impact on English society
C. what the language the children were exposed to first was
D. that funding is increasing to help students weak in English

Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate，says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads，shaking their arms，and even bouncing on all fours，the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other
Professor Richard Byrne，a psychiatrist involved in the research，says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.
“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning，depending on the context，”says Byrne.
The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the ges­tures from each other，as had been expected，but performed them instinctively (本能地).
“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures，”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”
The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience，so that silent sig­nals，for example， were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures，such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.
Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.
“There has always been speculation（猜测）that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures，”he says.
“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolution­ary origins of human gestures，”he adds.
Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However，the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire，not learning new ones.
64.According to the passage，Richard Byrne's research has found      .
A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures
B. gorillas know the sign language from birth
C. how gorillas learn from each other
D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up
65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?
A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.
B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.
C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.
D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.
66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla，he      .
A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him
B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention
C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen
D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture
67.According to the passage，many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to      .
A. find the origins of the human language
B. find ways for people to communicate with apes
C. learn how animals communicate
D. discover the meanings of animal gestures

It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”. I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial（财政的）package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition（学费）, room and board was around $ 40,000--- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus （校园）including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream”university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.
60. How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?
A. He was uncertain which school to go to.  B. He was lost in his dream.
C. He was worried about the money.  D. He was full of joy.
61. We can learn from the passage that the parents were _________.
A. honest B. supportive   C. strict    D. decisive
62. In Paragraph 5, “offered me a full ride”can be replaced by “_______”.
A. would pay for transport to the school
B. would show me around the campus
C. would offer free meals at all events
D. would charge me nothing for tuition
63. What does the author mainly want to say?
A. You should consider comfort in your choice of schools.
B. Your second-choice college may actually by your best fit.
C. You should try your best to attend your dream school.
D. Your choice of schools should be based on their fame.

In search of Mr．or Mrs．Right，dozens of Japanese are attending a new school in Tokyo aiming to turn them into marriage material．
The school offers various classes for brides and grooms at a time when many people in
Japan are either avoiding marriage or are finding it very difficult to hook up with a partner．The school which is open to men and women，teaches students how to talk，walk and present themselves elegantly(优雅)in order to capture the hearts and minds of partners and their parents．who are often a major obstacle(障碍)to successful unions．The school，opened last month.now has about 30 female students．An almost equal number of males have signed up，but those actually coming to class are much fewer than females．
“I had never thought that my boyfriend’s mother could play such a big role in my relationship．but now I’ve realized I need to start thinking seriously about how to impress my future in-1aws，”said Kozue Sugawara，29，who joined the school after her previous marriage plans failed．
Government statistics show nearly two-thirds of women under the age of 34 are unmarried．
despite some 3,800 firms in Japan offering match—making services．The average age of the school’s female students is 30．
“Before，people would find it easy to get married because families and society would connect them in some way，sometimes pushing them to get married．But now，people have too many choices to make up their minds，”said Etsuko Satake，principal of the school．
Instructors provide suggestions on students’dress，posture and even details such as how they CROSS their legs or get out of a car．Men and women are taught different skills，which range from how to set a table well to how to be more emotionally expressive．Students also simulate (模拟)dates，during which their instructors grade their performance and point out what they did wrong．
57．The new school is opened to teach students how to         ．
A．get along with their parents-in—law    B．prepare themselves for their marriage
C．behave and present themselves well D．get back to marriage after divorce
58．Nowadays many Japanese find it more difficult to get married because         ．
A．they are being forced to marry by parents
B．the society and family refuse to help them
C．they have fewer and fewer partners to make
D．they have too many choices to make a decision
59．Which of the following is true?
A．Successful marriage has little to do with future in-1aws．
B．Most women under 34 find it difficult to get married．
C．The school helps men and women while they are in love．
D．The number of men and women attending class is equal．
20．The undedincd part“Mr．or Mrs．Right”probably means         ．
A．a person with the family name“Right” B．a person who is always right
C．the righi person one wants to marry    D．the couple who never tell lies

C
At present, in many American cities expecially, many teachers in the public schools say they are underpaid. They point to jobs such as secretary or truck driver, which often pay more to start than that of a teacher. In many other fields, such as law, medicine, computer science, a beginning worker may make more than a teacher who has taught for several years.
Teaching has never been a profession that attracted people interested in high salaries. It is by history a profession that has provided rewards in addition to money—the satisfaction of sharing knowledge, of influencing others, of guiding young people. But in the past several years, there are more difficulties in teaching, for many, than there are rewards.
Unruly students, especially in big cities, large classes and a lack of support from the public in terms of money and understanding have led many public school teachers to leave the profession.
As a result, many of the best students, who would have chosen teaching as their life career in the past, are going into other fields.
Another reason for this change in teacher candidates is the changing status of women in the United States. Until the late 1960s and 1970s, one of the most popular choices for women was teaching. But as other professions, such as law and medicine opened up to women, women stopped pouring into teacher training programs. Thus, a major pool of excellent candidates for the teaching profession dwindled.
Bit by bit government officials and others realized that the status of the teacher had suffered. They talked about change. But the change in a vast society like the United States is not easy. People’s attitudes have formed over many years, and sometimes change takes many years.
63．The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refers to “      ”.
A．money             B．job
C．secretary          D．truck driver
64．What is the present situation of the teaching?
A．Teachers work harder and get underpaid.
B．Teahcers have no opportunities to work in other fields.
C．Teaching can attract best students to work as a teacher.
D．Teaching can provide rewards as well as high salaries.
65．Many public school teachers turn to other professions because        .
A．the government doesn’t finacially support them
B．they have to work longer hours than a lawyer
C．their students refuse to listen to them
D．they are not fairly treated
66．The author believes that change in teachers’ status in the United States       .
A．is not great     
B．is impossible
C．influences people’s attitude
D．needs time

B
At the middle school level, there are many academic clubs in which students can participate. Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest.
Mathcounts Club
Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge student math skills, develop self-confidence and give rewards for their achievements.
Envirothon
The Envirothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography. The ecology field competition for five-member middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife, soils, forestry, current environmental issues and aquatics. Students work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level.
Future Problem Solvers
Future Problem Solvers is an academic club that uses a six-step process to solve problems that may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program, who like to “think out of the box,” or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems may like this club. Teams comprised of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in a booklet using the six-step process. Teams that score high enough can go to the state competition and then to the international competition.
Builders Club
Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community service. Each Builders Club is co-sponsored by a Kiwanis club and the middle school. The members learn by doing, and they learn organization, teamwork, and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a "Teacher of the Year" program, provide a recycling collection point, organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters, adopt a resident at a local senior citizens home, adopt a highway, tutor, etc.
Middle school academic clubs offer students a place to explore interests or talents. The clubs they join in middle school can help guide choices in high school and beyond.
59．The students who are not interested in competitions woudld like to choose        .
A．Mathecounts Club    B．Builders Club
C．Future Problem Solvers   D．Envirothon
60．Why do some of the students choose Mathcounts Club?
A．To be successful in science careers.
B．To enjoy solving future problems.
C．To perform community service.
D．To study wildlife and soils.
61．What is the common feature of the four clubs?
A．Competitions.            B．Sponsorship.   
C．Scientific researches.       D．Teamwork.
62．The passage mainly talks about         .
A．the state academic competitions     B．middle school clubs
C．extra – curricular activities        D．the gifted students

(B)
My dad also taught me，by example，that a healthy lifestyle is important．He was hardly ever sick．But I don’l think my dad ever even had a cup of coffee．He barely touched alcohol．
He would say，“Boonnie，your voice is a reflection of your overall physical well-being．So if you want to sing well，take better care of yourself.” If I became hoarse(嘶哑)or caught a cold，he didn’t blame me directly：“Well，Bonnie，you know，if you’d get to sleep a little earlier，that would probably be a good idea．”When I decided to get unexcitable about 18 years ago，he told me．“See，
Bonnie，it's so great to see you in such strong voice all the time．”
He just did not complain，even when he was uncomfortable toward the end，from the pneumonia that eventually took his life．He simply made a choice to be positive and not negative．
I am so glad that we had the chance to perform together．I was touched that he tried singing my music，even though the bluesy style didn’t come naturally to him．Then，when I had so much
Grmnmy success with my album Nick of Time in 1990，I realized. Hey，I have one of the greatest singers of all time in my family．I was very nervous about doing the Boston Pops show on TV with my dad．To calm me，he said，“Bonnie，a beautiful song is a beautiful song．Just believe it．”I looked in my dad’s eyes，and there we were singing the Irving Berlia song with the lvric．Of all the duets I've done．that one wiU always be a highlight．
60．the second paragraph shows that          ．
A．the author’s father had a loving, in-the-moment and joyful approach
B．the author’s father had a very healthy lifestyle
C．the author’s father was very strict with his son
D．the author’s father devoted himself to his son
61．The author。father died because of          ．
A．coffee    B．alcohol    C．pneumonia     D．tire
62．The underlined word “inexeitable” means
A．heated   B．silent    C．angry      D．amused
63．From the last paragraph we may learn that          ．
A．the father and his son often performed together
B．playing blues is the father' s favourite
C．The author was good at orchestral music
D．the father and his son are both musicians

A new college guide in the United States compares educational requirements in seven subjects. These include math, science, writing and United States history or government. The other subjects are economics, foreign language and literature.
The free online guide is from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The council is a nonprofit group that supports liberal arts education.
Its president, Anne Neal, says these areas of knowledge are needed to succeed in a twenty-first century society and an increasingly connected world. Yet she told VOA’s Faiza Elmasry it was surprising how many students can graduate with, in her words, a “thin education.”
Forty-two of the one hundred colleges and universities surveyed received the lowest marks. This meant they required two or fewer of the seven subjects. Five schools received a top grade for requiring six subjects. These were Brooklyn College in New York City, Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin, West Point and the University of Arkansas.
Robert Costrell is a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He says many, if not all, of the top American colleges once had a core curriculum —a set of courses required for all students.
But over the years, many have dropped these requirements. Or they have watered them down, Professor Costrell says, into what became known as distribution requirements. This system lets a student choose from a number of different courses to satisfy a requirement.
ROBERT COSTRELL: “And in many cases these courses went too far, I would say, towards the fluffy treatment of serious material, and students could satisfy their requirement by taking such courses.”
Professor Costrell says schools should not only re-examine what they teach. They should also measure what students have learned — for example, through some form of examinations or papers.
A new report this week from the College Board showed that college prices continue to rise. But Anne Neal from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says higher prices do not guarantee a better general education. In fact, the group found that the higher the tuition, the more likely that students have to develop their own general education.
The college guide is on the Web at whatwilltheylearn.com. Anne Neal says her group is surveying more colleges. The hope, she says, is to discover what college graduates have really learned, and how ready they are to compete in the global marketplace.
67. Where does the passage probably come from?
A. A scientific fiction.                      B. A research newspaper.  
C. A fashion magazine.                     D. An entertainment newspaper.
68. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni does all the following EXCEPT _________.
A. support liberal arts education
B. concern itself with education in America
C. devote time to helping improve college education
D. make money by helping with college education
69. The words “watered them down” underlined in Paragraph 6 most likely mean “_______.”
A. reduced required courses                 B. improved required courses
C. increased required courses                D. developed required courses
70. In this passage, the new college guide mainly tells its readers that American colleges  should ______.
A. meet the requirements of the new century
B. reduce the number of required courses
C. have different standards on required courses
D. cut down on their tuitions

C
Reading about history is nice, but finding ties to long-ago historical events in your own backyard is really exciting．
In their heavily populated area, neighbors Adam Giles,13, and Derek Hann．12, uncovered pieces of glass that looked quite different from what’s used today．“After digging about two feet down, I came across an interesting bottle,” Derek said．The bottle had a “pontil scar” on the bottle, an indication that it was hand-blown rather than machine made．It also had the name “Fraser” on one side．
Adam found remains of a green bottle and some very thick brown glass—again, far different from today’s．
After doing research on the computer, the boys contacted Aimee Wells of the county’s Cultural Resources office．She showed them a computer program that digitally puts old maps over modern satellite photographs．
Bingo! Their back yards were once part of a military（军事的） encampment（营地） called Camp Alger used by Ohio soldiers on their way to fight in the Spanish-American War in 1898．
So how do a few bottles get connected to a brief war that was more than a century ago? “We get there by good judgment,” Wells said．“We know the time period of the bottles and what happened in that area．” Anyone can dig a hole, but archaeologists seek a deeper understanding．How do objects found relate to things around them?
When Derek and Adam realized that a solider might have held that Fraser bottle 110 years ago, they wondered what he might have been thinking．What did he see as he looked around him? How did he pass the time waiting to go into battle?
Historical records show that while waiting for orders, the soldiers in and around Camp Alger played baseball, played instruments and walked seven miles to the Potomac River once a week for baths．A spread of strange fever forced the closing of the camp, and there are no buildings to study．“What’s left is only what’s in the ground,” said Wells．
Derek’s and Adam’s back yards have joined the 3,400 places listed on the county’s register of archaeological sites．The boys were given tips on how to dig effectively and safely, and on how to document the location of items found．
The official record of their finds serves as another piece of the puzzle for historians seeking to form a more complete story of what happened．
“Not everyone is going to have historical objects in their own yard,” Wells said．“That’s okay．Make your own time capsule and bury it．What would you want people to know about your life years from now?”
63．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How Adam Giles and Derek Hann dug out the remains of an ancient military encampment．
B．What Adam Giles and Derek Hann found in their back yard and its relationship with an encampment．
C．The great contribution Adam Giles and Derek Hann made to the cause of archaeology．
D．The tips on how to dig out ancient objects buried under the ground safely and effectively．
64．From the passage, we can see that the boy’s discovery _______．
A．includes all kinds of hand-made and machine- made glass．
B．has helped historians find out what happened in 1898．
C．couldn’t have been meaningful without Aimee Wells’ help．
D．has added the county to the list of archaeologist sites．
65．When Wells said “We get there by good judgment．” （Paragraph 6）, she meant that_______．
A．they have established the ties to Camp Alger by finding out the time period of the bottles．
B．they have figured out how to get to the place where the brief war happened．
C．they have managed to dig out the bottles in the back yard safely with common sense．
D．they were able to locate the soldiers who used the Fraser bottles 110 years ago．
66．Which of the following fits the description of historical records?
A．The soldiers in and around Camp Alger delighted in playing basketball in their spare time．
B．When Camp Alger was forced to close, all the buildings there were destroyed．
C．The soldiers in and around Camp Alger often buried some bottles underground as time capsules．
D．Camp Alger was forced to close because of a spread of a strange fever．

B
Daniel Defoe (about 1660～1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every hosehold very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
6. Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A.an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities”                   B.an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C.a French, “The Lost Necklace”                           D.an English, “Robinson Crusoe”
7. How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A.He was in his sixties.                                     B.He was in his fifties.
C.He was over 60.                                            D.He was sixty.
8. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A.two, his lonely life                                               B.three, his characters
C.three, his journeys by sea                                  D.four, his fame
9. “Every household” in this passage means ______.
A.all members of a family                                        B.all people
C.every building                                                     D.persons living in the same house
10. What was Defoe’s contribution to the English literature?
A.He wrote a very interesting story.
B.He made people happy while reading his story.
C.He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D.He was active in politics and was against capitalism.