Finding the right school for your child is a process． You will want to read about the school, talk to any friends who are involved in the school and, most important of all, visit the school．
The first step in finding out about Indian Creek is to request an information packet． We will be happy to send you a packet containing a brochure（小册子）, the fee structure and an application． The packet should answer most of your general questions about the school．
In order to get a true sense of Indian Creek School, you should come for an Admission Tour, which includes a personal meeting focusing on your child, a tour of the building and the classrooms, and a discussion of the curriculum（课程）．
This visit is no less important if the child for whom you are seeking admission is a teenager than if he or she is a three-year-old one． Every school has a different “school climate．” If you visit two or three schools, you will notice that each “feels” different． You know your child best and you will quickly develop a sense of whether a school is the right match or not．
●The initial point of entry for Indian Creek Students is at the pre-kindergarten level for three year olds．
●Children must be three years old by August 31st．
●We also have major points of entry from grade six to grade nine． At each of these levels, we open new sections and accept students in addition to those moving up from our own lower grades．
●There are scattered（零散的） openings available throughout the program due to attrition（学生流失）． Once an opening occurs, students spend a day at ICS, part of which includes admission testing．
【小题1】You can NOT get to know about ICS by      ．

A．getting an information packet	B．taking an admission tour
C．asking friends involved in ICS	D．taking an admission test

【小题2】During the Admission Tour, you can      ．

A．having a meeting with the children

B．decide on the design of the classrooms

C．talk with the school about the courses

D．choose the weather suitable for study．

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT accepted for ICS when there is no attrition?

A．A boy who will be 3 years old by July．

B．A fifth grader originally studying in ICS．

C．An eighth grader from another school．

D．A fourth grader from another school．

【小题4】The text is intended for      ．

A．teachers	B．parents
C．kindergarteners	D．school kids

It is time for students to sell such things as chocolate bars and greeting cards to raise money for their school, class or club. It is inevitable that they will knock on your door and you will easily hand over your cash for overpriced items that you really do not want. That is okay, though, because there are many reasons why children should be allowed to raise money for their schools and clubs.
Fundraising（募集资金） is a great way to help children learn social skills. It is not easy to go up to a complete stranger and ask him for his money. They have to nicely ask for help, show the interested buyer what they have to offer and explain how it will help them in school. If someone refuses to buy an item, that child has to take the failure in stride(不特别费力地), and that is a learning lesson as well.
Students can learn how to deal with money by fundraising. Of course, it might seem safer for us to take charge of our children’s earnings from their fundraising before it is turned into the school. However, by making them keep track of it, count it, and make sure everyone pays the right amount, they are learning an important lesson. Dealing with money is important to know about when they are older.
Fundraising helps improve their schools. It is the children’s school. They have to learn there and grow there. Why not let them help in making it a better place?
Fundraising allows for more life experiences for the child. The raised money is used towards things like parties, trips, or for the music club to go to see a Broadway play. The children receive the rewards for their hard work at raising the money. Without fundraising, these field trips and special school memories would be missed.
In a word, fundraising helps children a lot in many ways.
【小题1】The underlined word “inevitable” in the first paragraph means “_______”.

A．不可能的

B．不恰当的

C．不可避免的

D．不现实的

【小题2】One of the important indications that children are grown up is that __________.

A．children can deal with money

B．children learn to care for others

C．children make a date with friends of the other sex

D．children like to make up

【小题3】The author thinks that fundraising _______.

A．adds to the family’s burden	B．wastes the learning time
C．helps to develop the children’s character	D．builds up the children’s bodies

【小题4】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central point   P: Point      Sp: Sub-point（次要点）     C: Conclusion

So you have been called for an interview---well done?Your effort has been paid off? You will feeI better at the interview if you show an understanding of the nature of the organization．
Ask someone who already does it，or check it with one of the advisers．
Ask a member of your family or a friend to act as the employer and to give you an unreal interview．Be as realistic as possible，answer the questions seriously．Afterwards discuss how it went．Think about how the employer would prefer to see your look．Remember---the majority of employers are over 30.
It is not wise to rush out and buy new clothes.which will be worn for the first time at the interview．You’ll feel more at ease in a familiar dress．
Carelessness in any of these could cost you the job．Arrive at least 15 minutes before time，this will give you a chance to have a look around，read the notice board and get the feel of the place．Being late at the interview produces a bad impression．The first impression that the interviewer gets of you is formed as you walk through the door，so take a couple of deep breaths．
Be ready to shake hands if the interviewer offers．
Don’t take a seat until asked．Then sit comfortably．
Make eye contact  when you are greeted and again if you shake hands．And during questioning,eye contact is a form of non-verbal greeting．
Remember the interviewer’s name and use it from time to time．
Be ready for the question “Is there anything you want to ask?” Before the interview you should get ready for two or three such questions．Look on these not just as a chance to get information but as a means to give your employer a better impression．Asking can show knowledge but avoid asking about holidays，pensions(养老金)and so on．It looks as if you are tired even before you begin．You can check on these later，when the hope for job is offered．
And if you fail, look upon the interview as an experience in itself．Learn from it．We wish you good luck and good job hunting．
【小题1】Before you go to see the employer，you’d better      .

A．find a dress you have got used to

B．buy some modern shoes，ties，etc．

C．have your hair cut

D．put on your newly-bought clothes

【小题2】What does the phrase“eye contact”means?

A．A kind of greeting without words．

B．Shaking hands with the interviewer．

C．Looking at each other for a long time．

D．A way of getting a desirable job．

【小题3】People usually do the following things before a job interview．Which is the right order for doing them?
a．Asking a friend to give you an unreal interview．
b．Understanding the nature of the organization．
c．Paying attention to your clothes．
d．Arriving at the place of the interview ahead of time．
e．Getting some information from the advisers．

A．a—e—b—c—d	B．d—c—b—a—e
C．b—e—a—c—d	D．e—d—a—b—c

【小题4】Why do you prepare yourself for some Is--there·-anything·-you·-want--to-say questions?

A．To give the employer more information．

B．To get information about holiday and pension．

C．To impress the employer better and get further information from the company as well．

D．To show that you are the most knowledgeable．

Not only did the students ask for changes in the list of required subjects，but they also demanded the right to choose their courses according to their own taste and future needs．No more fixed programs,no guidance from educators and professors．All they wanted was to get their degree as fast as possible and go to work．
Although the educators didn’t all agree；a majority recognized that time had indeed changed and that education should perhaps adapt itself to the realities of modern society．Colleges and universities revised their programs to include a large number of specialized courses in business，nursing，engineering，and other professional fields．In the 1960s they also added courses requested by the students because they considered them“relevant(相关的)”(Women Studies，Revolution，or Black History)or useful(glass blowing，infant care，slow running，or family life)．The students were granted the right to choose their courses as they wished．Many traditional subjects had to be dropped，including history and foreign languages；the liberal education courses that were still useful were often neglected(忽视)by the students，who didn’t feel like working hard to learn something that was not required for graduation．
Whether the revised programs have helped college graduates to find employment quickly is not clear．But after fifteen or twenty years of experimentation，they have raised a lot of criticism．Some of it comes from the graduates themselves,who discover that their practical knowledge is neither deep nor flexible(灵活的)．As soon as they progress to higher positions，they find that they need management training and more study in their own field．Besides，they feel disabled by their lack of general knowledge,for example，by their ignorance of the language and culture of the foreigners with whom they are doing business. Most of all they suffer from their inability to use English，their own language，easily and properly.
【小题1】The students also demanded      ，besides a change of program.

A．the right to choose their university

B．the right to choose their professors

C．the right to choose their degree

D．the right to choose their courses

【小题2】What was the reaction of the colleges towards the students’demand?

A．All the educators agreed with them.

B．None of the educators agreed with them.

C．A few educators agreed with them.

D．A few educators disagreed with them.

【小题3】Who is it that criticized the new system of education?

A．Graduates

B．Parents

C．Employers

D．Educators

【小题4】In the opinion of the critics，the main problems are      .

A．the general knowledge is too much

B．the practical knowledge is impractical

C．they learned too much useless knowledge

D．they are not able to use their knowledge effectively

The college entrance exam is not only a big challenge (挑战) for Chinese high school students, but also a very important exam in the lives of South Korean students.
Although the long, cold winter has already started in South Korea, the annual (一年一度的) national exams have made the atmosphere very heated.
More than 675,000 South Korean high school graduates took the college entrance exam last Wednesday. They usually take exams in Korean, maths, sociology (社会学), history and foreign languages.
Officially there is one college place for every 1.33 students. But because all the students want to go to the top universities in the country, the competition can reach one place for 10 students. The students want to attend these colleges for both their famous names and better job opportunities.
Because students face fierce competition, they have to study very hard to realize their dreams. Park Seung said he and his classmates often go to school before 7:30 a.m. After school has finished at 6:30 p.m., most of them go to the library to continue their study instead of returning home. Since many libraries in South Korea are open 24 hours a day, they often stay long into the night. Many of the Senior 3 students only sleep for three to four hours a day. “I feel a lot of pressure, but I have to study very hard in order to make my dream come true. This is my lifetime goal and it will be a turning point in my life which could decide my future,” Park said.
The exam day is a very serious day for the whole of South Korea. Vehicles are not allowed within a 200-metre radius (范围) of all the test sites to make sure the students have quiet surroundings. Tooting (吹奏) of horns is forbidden, even airplanes are ordered to avoid landing and take-off near the test sites during listening comprehension test hours.
Students are told their scores in December before they apply for college. This is followed by face-to-face oral tests. There are public and private universities in South Korea. Many private universities are well-known, but their fees can be 18, 000 yuan each term. This has made a lot of students think again.
【小题1】What do we know about South Korean annual national exams?

A．Senior 3 students have to compete fiercely because there is only one place for 10 students.

B．Senior 3 students have to stay long into night at school.

C．Many of the Senior 3 students can’t have enough sleep.

D．Airplanes are ordered to avoid landing and take-off during national exams.

【小题2】We can infer that there are almost ________ college places for high school graduates.

A．675, 000

B．507, 520

C．500, 000

D．600, 000

【小题3】The students want to study in top colleges mainly because ________.

A．they can succeed more easily in future	B．they can learn more
C．they can make more money	D．it is interesting to study there

【小题4】 Before students are allowed to colleges ________.

A．they will be interviewed	B．they will ask questions of colleges
C．they will not be tested any more	D．first they will pay all the education fee at all

Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid. T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion (视觉影像) of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could be expected to show surprised in their faces and movements. All the 16 to 24-week-old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to re-appear. If the experiment took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted (替换) a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week-old babies did not seem to notice the switch (更换). Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence,” while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about         .

A．babies’ sense of sight	B．effects of experiments on babies
C．babies’ understanding of objects	D．different tests on babies’ feelings

【小题2】In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object            .

A．still exists

B．keeps its shape

C．still stays solid

D．is beyond reach

【小题3】What did Bower use in his experiments?

A．A chair

B．A screen

C．A film

D．A box

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?

A．The babies didn’t have a sense of direction.

B．The older babies preferred toy trains to balls.

C．The younger babies liked looking for missing objects

D．The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion.

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York ,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Eventually，as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.	B．To encourage people to read and share.
C．To involve people in community service.	D．To promote the friendship between cities.

【小题2】Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They had little interest in reading.	B．They were too busy to read a book.
C．They came from many different backgrounds	D．They lacked support from the local government

【小题3】According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity	B．In large cities where libraries are far from home
C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population
D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached

【小题4】The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean       .

A．exchanged ideas with each other	B．discussed the meaning of a word
C．gamed life experience	D．used the same language

【小题5】According to Nancy, the degree of success of the project is judged by       .

A．the careful selection of a proper book	B．the growing popularity of the writers
C．the number of people who benefit from reading	D．the number of books that each person reads

Geniuses amaze us，impress us and make us all a little jealous. How do they differ from the average person？Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old，he began to play the piano. After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven. Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight. He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears. He seems to be specially designed for music. In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies （神童） to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh. His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain. After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and picture. So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art. Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine. Suffers of brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease. Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no sign of extraordinary intelligence. Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately. As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards. Make Me a Genius examines what is takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be done. Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky. Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
【小题1】 In paragraph 2, Marc Yu’s story tells us_________________.

A．a child prodigy can work easier than others.

B．a child prodigy is trained by family.

C．a child prodigy has an unbelievable listening skill.

D．a child prodigy always practise his skills.

【小题2】In paragraph 3, the sentence “Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.” means that ______________.

A．Tommy McHugh could not be called a genius.

B．Tommy McHugh became a genius when he was young.

C．Tommy McHugh was a robot but not a real human being.

D．Tommy McHugh became a genius after a sudden accident.

【小题3】The writer provides different examples to _____________.

A．show how people can be geniuses.	B．show becoming a genius is easy.
C．show geniuses are common.	D．show people know how to explain geniuses.

【小题4】The passage may come from_________.

A．a report

B．a novel

C．a TV program

D．a newspaper

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen—the 21st century equivalent (相等物) of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread pieces you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”
When opinion polls (民意测验) ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a serious depression about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessanfro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health: when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.
【小题1】What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A．Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B．Friends should always be faithful to each other.

C．There should be a distance even between friends.

D．There should be fewer disagreements between friends.

【小题2】Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

B．People leave traces around when using modern technology.

C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

【小题3】What do most Americans do about privacy protection?

A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
B．They use various loyalty cards for business deals.	C．They rely more and more on electronic devices.
D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

【小题4】According to the passage, privacy is like health because __________.

A．people will make every effort to keep it

B．its importance is rarely understood

C．it is something that can easily be lost

D．people don’t cherish it until they lose it

Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.
【小题1】Generally speaking, children’s skills __________.

A．come from their parents

B．have nothing to do with their education

C．may be different from child to child

D．have something to do with their marks in the exams

【小题2】The writer of this passage does not seem to be satisfied with_______.

A．the parents’ ideas of educating their children

B．the education system

C．children’s skills

D．children’s hobbies

【小题3】Doing some cooking at home helps children_________.

A． learn how to serve their parents

B． learn how to become strong and fat

C． benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future

D． make their parents believe that they are clever

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following is True?

A．Chinese are not very generous on educating their children.

B．All Parents know how to teach their children well.

C．Teaching a child to cook can improve the skills that he will need in the future.

D．Poor parents cannot buy a computer for their children.