Do you think your schoolwork is too hard? Do you feel you have too much homework? If you answer “yes”, you are in the same boat as most US kids. However, school life for them is about to get even harder.

    A group of 13 states have decided to make their schools’ workload(工作量) much heavier, especially in math and English. Most students in US high schools work very hard. But it is not like in China, where almost all students have to work from early morning till late in the evening.

    US students have a lot of freedom to decide how hard they should work. “Most students put in a lot of effort (努力), but some do almost nothing,” said Will Gordon, a teacher from North Carolina. “I think stricter rules will help those students who aren’t so focused (集中精神的).”

    “For the most part, it’s good,” said Adam Jorve, 15, a student at Gordon’s school. “A lot of kids in public schools can hardly read when they graduate. However, for me, I wish I didn’t have the extra work.”

81. From the first passage we know that most US kids _______.

A. have a pleasant school life         B. often go boating together

C. have hard schoolwork             D. pay little attention to their schoolwork

82. Compared with Chinese students, kids in the US ________.

A. have a much heavier workload                B. don’t have to work from morning till night

C. spend more time on math and English      D. have no time to relax themselves

83. What freedom do US students have? They have the freedom to decide _________.

A. how hard they should work    B. how long they stay at school

C. what to do and how to do it    D. how much time they should spend on their work

84. In Will Gordon’s opinion, students who almost do nothing in school will be helped ______.

A. by strict teachers                       B. by their parents

C. through the strict management (管理） D. through stricter rules

85. The passage tells us mainly about _______.

A. the heavy load of Chinese students  B. the heavy load of the US students

C. the freedom of the US students     D. the different school life of the US students

Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap(代沟) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.
Voice of the students:
“Our parents hold too high expectations which put us under lots of pressure. They care too much about our lives and studies,” one student said.
“It’s impolite that some students’ parents read their children’s diaries without permission!” one student said angrily.
“Some of our teachers are so serious that we can’t make friends with them at all,” another student said sadly.
Voice of the parents:
One mother said, “After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can’t stand her clothes and hairstyle!”
“I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn’t realize I was being cheated by him until I got a call from his teacher,” said a father.
Voice of the teachers:
An English teacher said, “Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students’ brains. The power of teachers has kept students away from them.”
“Some parents pay too much attention to their children’s grades instead of creating a lively and colorful environment at home,” another teacher said.
“In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about,” said a teacher. “A school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure and frustration bravely enough.

1. 1.

   What can we know from the students’ voice?

   1. A.
      They hope to be free don’t want their parents to be very strict.
   2. B.
      The higher expectations their parents hold, the better they will do.
   3. C.
      Teachers like making friends with students now.
   4. D.
      A warm and happy family isn’t expected.
2. 2.

   The underlined word “expectations” in the passage means “­­­­___________” in Chinese.

   1. A.
      表扬
   2. B.
      期望
   3. C.
      梦想
   4. D.
      责任
3. 3.

   What can we infer from the teachers who were surveyed?

   1. A.
      Teachers feel what they are doing for students is good.
   2. B.
      Parents, teachers and educational rules all influence students greatly.
   3. C.
      Now teachers and students communicate better than before.
   4. D.
      Teachers should care more about excellent students.
4. 4.

   Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Unhappy teenagers
   2. B.
      Serious parents
   3. C.
      Educational rules
   4. D.
      The generation gap

Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap(代沟) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.
Voice of the students:
“Our parents hold too high expectations which put us under lots of pressure. They care too much about our lives and studies,” one student said.
“It’s impolite that some students’ parents read their children’s diaries without permission!” one student said angrily.
“Some of our teachers are so serious that we can’t make friends with them at all,” another student said sadly.
Voice of the parents:
One mother said, “After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can’t stand her clothes and hairstyle!”
“I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn’t realize I was being cheated by him until I got a call from his teacher,” said a father.
Voice of the teachers:
An English teacher said, “Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students’ brains. The power of teachers has kept students away from them.”
“Some parents pay too much attention to their children’s grades instead of creating a lively and colorful environment at home,” another teacher said.
“In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about,” said a teacher. “A school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure and frustration bravely enough.
【小题1】What can we know from the students’ voice?