United States and Canada are multicultural countries with many national, religious and cultural differences, where people attach great importance to individualism—the uniqueness among people. Teachers value the qualities that make each student special and different. You can see such values through their educational systems. For example, students needn’t memorize lots of information. Instead, they work independently and find answers on their own. There are discussions for children to show their own ideas and opinions.
By contrast, people have the same language, history, and culture in most Asian societies. As a result, Asia’s educational system reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea learn to work together and help one another in assignments. And the teaching methods are often very formal and serious. In class, teachers give lectures while students listen and take notes. Discussion is replaced by reciting rules of information that have been memorized.
These two systems both have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage in Japan is that there is much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. In addition, students study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The difficult system also prepares students for a society that place emphasis on discipline and self-control. However, while memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students admit forgetting much of the information that they have memorized after exams.
On the other hand, the educational system in North American has an advantage that students learn to think for themselves, which prepares them for a society that values creativity. The disadvantage is that when they graduate from high school, they haven’t recited as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.
【小题1】People in multicultural countries such as the US or Canada lay more stress on __________.

A．team work

B．self-control

C．discipline

D．individualism

【小题2】What is the advantage of the educational system in North America？

A．There is not much discussion.

B．Learning to think for themselves

C．Learning much less math and science

D．They haven’t memorized basic rules and facts.

【小题3】Which words is most suitable to describe the author's attitude in writing this passage?

A．Supportive

B．Opposite

C．Objective

D．Subjective

【小题4】The main idea of this passage is___________.

A．cultural differences in countries such as the United States or Canada

B．comparisons of educational system between North America and Asia

C．there are more advantages of Asian education system of than that of North American

D．there are more disadvantages of Asian education system than that of North American

FreeRice.com is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP). It aims to provide education to everyone for free and help end world hunger. Join us and have fun with our vocabulary game. For each vocabulary word you get right, we donate free rice through UNWFP to those hungry people.
How do you play the vocabulary game?
Click on the answer that is closest in meaning to the word. If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word. For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice to UNWFP.
How does the vocabulary game help you?
This game may make you smarter. While learning new vocabulary, it can help you:
★Present your ideas better
★Write better papers, e-mails and business letters
★Speak more accurately and influentially
★Read faster because you understand better
★Get better grades in high school and college
★Perform better at job interviews
★Be more effective and successful at your job
After you have done FreeRice for a couple of days, you may notice a phenomenon. Words that you have never consciously used before will begin to pop into your head while you are speaking or writing. You will feel yourself using and knowing more words.
How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?
FreeRice has a database containing thousands of words at different levels of difficulty. There are words proper for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most learned professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, doctors, truck drivers… everyone!
FreeRice adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, designs a proper starting level for you. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. There are 60 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above Level 50.
Sign up now and you will have fun as well as help end world hunger.
【小题1】According to the passage, the purpose of the vocabulary game is to ______.

A．combine English learning with helping hungry people

B．make it popular in English-speaking countries

C．encourage people to produce more rice

D．provide English learning for poor areas

【小题2】Playing the vocabulary game enables you to ______.

A．develop some new ideas

B．increase chances of job interview

C．be admitted to a university

D．perform better in a speech competition

【小题3】People of different vocabulary levels can play the game because ______.

A．it is free of charge

B．it offers fair chances to everyone

C．it changes levels with their performance

D．it meets the needs of people in different fields

Today, traditional opinions about men still exist. A man has to be strong, brave, sports loving and manly. Anything less would not be considered manly. Sports such as football, basketball and boxing all tend (往往是) to be men’s sports. However, the dance of ballet is considered feminine because it requires nice movements. This tradition is shown in the movie, Billy Elliot.
Billy Elliot is a movie that protests against this traditional view of men. Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy that has a natural talent for ballet dancing, but his father will not allow it. Billy’s father wants him to take up boxing and become stronger, but Billy goes against his father’s wishes and takes up ballet dancing. This difference of opinion makes Billy sad. What’s more, his friends also laugh at him.
After saving enough money, his father sends Billy to a weekly boxing course; however, Billy doesn’t enjoy boxing because he always loses in matches and is often hurt. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson thinks that men or women should not be judged by the activities they like to do, so she tells Billy’s father that although he wants his son to make a good living, he should let his son do what he loves to do because he has a talent for it. When his father finally realizes the truth, Billy is surprised. In the end, with the help of his father, brother and all the people around him, Billy goes to the Royal Ballet Academy in London and becomes a very successful ballet dancer.
【小题1】The underlined word “feminine” in the first paragraph most probably means ______

A．of men

B．of children

C．of women

D．of students

【小题2】Why is Billy laughed at by other children?

A．He always loses in boxing matches.	B．He isn’t strong.
C．He looks like a girl.	D．He loves ballet.

【小题3】What do we know about Billy?

A．His teacher encourages him to take up ballet dancing.

B．He does well in ballet dancing and boxing.

C．He does what his father wants him to do.

D．He has never taken up any men’s sports.

【小题4】From Billy’s story, we can see that _______.

A．children should accept their parents’ opinions

B．we should try to fight against traditional opinions

C．men and women play different sports

D．parents should let their children do what they are interested in

Most British parents give their teenagers pocket money．Teenagers get between￡7 and￡20 a week．They spend it on fast food，designed clothes，the cinema，concert，magazines and mobile phones．
1)Lazy parents?
37％of parents pay teenagers to clean the living room，66％of parents pay teenagers to take the rubbish out．
2)Lazy teens?
51％of teenagers don’t make their beds before they leave home．
Only 1 3％of teenagers wash the car for money．
Some parents even pay their teenagers to do their homework．
3)Equality?Not Yet!
Boys get more money than girls for most odd jobs．
For washing the dishes，boys get about￡4 and girls get about￡1．
4)And if you need some more money?
Teens get an extra￡250 a year out of their parents on top of pocket money!
About 50％of teens get gifts or money from their grandparents．
Go to Mum if you need extra money! She gives more than Dad．
5)Where you live makes a difference!
Parents in Scotland and the North of England give more pocket money．
6)Spending
51％of teenagers spend their money on clothes．
39％of teenagers buy cosmetics(装饰品)，jewellery and toiletries(洗漱用品)．
Less than 30％of teenagers save any money．
7)Earnings
Here are some children who tell us about their pocket money：
Emma：I get￡30 a month．I have to take the rubbish out and tidy my room．
James：I get￡10 a week．But I have to clean the car，hoover(用真空洗尘器清洗)the house and load and unload the dishwasher．I usually save the money．
Lain：I get￡7．50 a week．I have to be“good”but I don’t have to do any jobs for the money．
Richard；I get￡5 a week．But our neighbors go away a lot and they give me￡25 a week for looking after their cats．
【小题1】This passage is mainly about        ．

A．teenagers everywhere get pocket money

B．how to spend pocket money

C．some bits about pocket money in Britain

D．how to get pocket money

【小题2】According to the passage，which statement is true?

A．Parents are lazy so they let children do housework．

B．Teens are too lazy to do housework unless they are given pocket money．

C．The pocket money boys and girls get is not equal．

D．It is not right for children to ask for pocket money．

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that      ．

A．boys earn more money at home than girls

B．girls earn more money at home than boys

C．only rich parents give children pocket money

D．most children spend their pocket money

【小题4】Who most probably gets the most money for a whole year according to the passage?

A．Emma

B．J ames

C．Lain

D．Richard

Kuss Middle School serves students in Fall River, Mass. , a former mill town that has struggled economically for decades. Students at Kuss have struggled, too, usually falling short of making the academic progress required under the No Child Left Behind law.
Then, last year, the school experimented with extending the school day. Teachers got paid at a higher hourly rate.
Students weren't thrilled at first with leaving school at 4:15 p.m. instead of at 2:20 p.m. But the added hours gave them more time for physical education and let them select special interest classes. By the end of the year, student scores had risen by enough to enable Kuss to make the progress required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The only surprise is that more districts haven't lengthened school schedules set decades ago to accommodate (适应) a farm economy rather the information economy of today.

School days The USA ranks 36th of 40 industrialized nations in average weekly instructional time. Selected countries: 1) Thailand--30.5 hours  2) Korea--30.3 hours  7) China--26.5 hours 14) France--24.6 hours  15 ) UK--24.6 hours 16) Mexico--24.2 hours  23 ) Japan--23.8 hours 26)Canada--23.6 hours  36)USA--22.2 hours  40)Brazil--19 hours

New research suggests the time is ready for a change:
Matched against 39 other developed countries, the United States is near the bottom in the rankings of average weekly instructional time in school.  Measured over 12 years, students in the top-scoring countries spend the equivalent of a full extra year in school.
US students perform poorly on math and science tests compared to their international peers, according to a US Education Department comparison released earlier this month. In math, American 15-year-old scored near the bottom among the study's 30 developed countries.
Most countries that boost the number of minutes spent on math instruction find pay offs in improved math scores, according to a study released this month by the Brookings Institution. Small in creases in the school day are more effective than a longer school year, the report concluded.
The most encouraging news about the benefits of extending the school day comes from Massachusetts, where an experiment with 10 schools, including Kuss, appears to be working. Those 10 schools lengthened their instructional days by 25% and boosted their state scores in math, English and science at all grades.
Perhaps the concept won't work everywhere. Certainly, it won't instantly be popular. But it's obvious that a problem exists or that adding class time seems to help.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the above passage?

A．Experiments with extended school hours produce academic gains.

B．Kuss Middle School sets a good example for US education.

C．Academic progress has achieved under the No Child Left Behind law.

D．Information age calls for more instructional lime at all schools.

【小题2】A longer school day is suggested for the following reasons except that _________.

A．students from many developed countries spend more time at school

B．American students do a bad job at science subjects

C．teachers are paid at a higher rate with time added

D．a longer school day works better than a longer school year

【小题3】Which statement is true of Kuss Middle School?

A．Kuss Middle School lies in where a farm economy is changing to an information one.

B．Kuss Middle school has joined the federal "No Child Left Behind" progrann

C．Neither teachers nor students are happy with the longer school day.

D．Adding class time functions at Kuss Middle School.

【小题4】The writer has expressed ____________.

A．a positive attitude towards adding school time

B．a negative attitude towards adding school time

C．a changing attitude towards adding school time

D．a right attitude towards adding school time

We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
“Look down, Elsa,” father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. “ See, my dear,” father said gently. “ There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful(糟糕的) lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.
When I turned to father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I secretly poured my luncheon（午餐）soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered（喷溅出） “ The cook must have gone mad！” Quickly I told her what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.
【小题1】The author's father took her to the top of a church tower to _____．

A．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town

B．find out how many ways lead to the square

C．inspire her to find out another way to solve her problem

D．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day

【小题2】What did the author want her mother to do earlier that day?

A．Do something delicious for lunch.

B．Taste her awful lunch.

C．Dismiss the mad cook.

D．Speak to the school about lunch.

【小题3】By sharing her own experiences, the author tries to tell us ____________.

A．when one road is blocked, try another

B．how bad the lunch of her school is

C．how wise her father is

D．about the church tower near her home

Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student．By using your time properly，you can do your homework more quickly．Learning to stuady is not difficult．
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn．It doesn’t mean that you must always like the subject．It does mean，however，that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn．Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things．Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life．Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier．Sometimes a subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly．Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them．
Here’s some advice for you：have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study，so that you can concentrate(集中)on your study without interruptions(中断，打断)；have everything ready before you sit down to study—a dictionary，paper，a pen and books；be sure you understand what you should learn before you start；read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things；when memorizing(记忆), first find out the main parts and then recite(背诵)the whole thing；check your homework after you finish it：never forget the importance of review and preview．
【小题1】The main idea of the text is         ．

A．to prove that learning is not difficult

B．to make the readers be interested in study

C．to tell the importance of self-teaching

D．to tell the students how to study well

【小题2】The first thing to remember in studying is that         ．

A．you must like the subject

B．you must follow the teacher

C．you must enioy learning

D．you must study hard

【小题3】What does the underlined word“preview”mean?

A．To go over．

B．To review again．

C．To view in advance．

D．To discuss．

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the text?

A．To put a pen，paper and books beside you before study．

B．To study at any possible time and place．

C．To review and preview．

D．To pay attention to the most important things。

Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all whether rich or poor, clever or stupid - one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree；they refuse to do what they think "low" work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that it is very bad to be ashamed of one's work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
【小题1】The writer of the passage thinks that _______.

A．education can settle most of the world's problems

B．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world

C．free education won't help to solve problems

D．all the social problems can't be solved by education

【小题2】The writer wants to prove that _______.

A．our society needs all kinds of jobs

B．our society needs free education for all

C．a farmer is more important than a professor

D．work with hands is the most important

【小题3】The purpose of education is _______.

A．to choose officials for the country

B．to prepare children mainly for their future work

C．to let everyone receive education fit for him

D．to build a perfect world

【小题4】The passage tells us about _______ of the education.

A．the means

B．the system

C．the value

D．the type

From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.
【小题1】Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?

A．No one has come to disturb you.

B．Everything is so quiet and calm around you.

C．The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive.

D．Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed.

【小题2】How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?

A．They resemble human friends exactly.

B．They are unfamiliar types we like.

C．They never desert us.

D．They never hurt our feelings.

【小题3】Which of the following is true?

A．Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books.

B．To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading.

C．Books can always help you to live a colorful life.

D．You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books.

【小题4】 The word “weary” means ______.

A．“to attract someone’s attention”

B．“to distract someone’s attention”

C．“to make someone very tired”

D．“to make someone interested”

【小题5】“... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.

A．in books the world is more accessible to us

B．we can ask to go anywhere in the world

C．we can make a claim to everything in this world

D．we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge

In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. More than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan (贷款)  to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan. The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with debts of around £12,000. Students of medicine usually have debts of more than £20,000. That is a lot of money. It means graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years. They even struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan after graduating. If you start to earn over £15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents’ home until they are 30 years old?
You might think that a British person with a degree will find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in white-collar jobs seem to have a degree these days, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper. Like everyone else, graduates usually have to start at the bottom and work their way up. That can be very frustrating for them, since they are often over-qualified for the work they are doing. While at university, they have dreams of getting an exciting, challenging job. Therefore, life after university ends up being quite disappointing for a lot of graduates.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money.
【小题1】What's the best title of this passage?

A．What's a University Education worth in the UK?

B．There is a lot of competition in the UK

C．There won't be any University Place left for British students

D．It doesn't cost students more and more to attend university

【小题2】What's the following is true?  

A．University Education is really worth the money in England

B．University Education is worth all over the world except in England

C．British education is becoming more expensive for a majority of British students

D．British students don't like to go to university

【小题3】We can infer from the passage ____

A．The average British person didn't leave their parents' home until they are 35 years old

B．Having a degree doesn't get aBritish person a good job

C．Students are graduating without larger and larger debts.

D．things are easier for students from other countries coming to study

in the UK without money
【小题4】The word "interest" in paragraph2 means_______

A． money paid for a week's work

B． money borrowed from a band

C． a regular monthly salary

D． extra money paid on a loan or bank savings