A detailed and thorough research project undertaken by the Open University recently reported that their evidence appears to show that competition between nearby schools does not significantly improve academic standards．Indeed，their report．inclines to the opposite outcome：the exam results may actually decline where competition is fiercest．

    When the further education sector was “privatized” a few years ago，competition between colleges became truly fierce，at least in urban areas where potential students could choose between several of them. Colleges appointed highly paid marketing directors and gave them large budgets；some even “bribed（贿赂）” interested students with promises of hundreds of pounds if they completed certain courses satisfactorily． 

    Fully competitive markets being a philosophical foundation of Britain’s recent governments，it was no surprise to hear claims that many educational developments of the 1990s would move us towards a free market in secondary education--giving youngsters and their parents a free choice of where to study．However，the secondary sector did not become particularly competitive while，admittedly，the consumers have been given more information，which is one aspect of a truly free market．It is very rare that two nearby schools with at least some empty places are similar enough to be comparable yet different enough to be ranked；only where that occurs can there be true competition．

    The Open University research was probably not flawed—but its conclusions are．This is because the team did not really compare areas having true competition（as just defined）with areas that do not．

    But，let us all breathe a sigh of relief．Secondary schools had started late to move in the marketing direction--considering allocating scarce resources of staff and money to persuading the pupils that their schools are the best in the area．No schools could afford to do that properly，so it is a relief to realize this research tells us we don’t have to．

    Competition? We haven’t got time for it! Let’s spend our small budget in teaching and learning，not in competing and marketing．

1．It is indicated in the passage that competition between schools results in            ．

    A．higher enrollment rate

    B．lower academic standard

    C．higher marketing expenses

    D．privatization of further education

2．Real competition can happen only when              .

    A．academic standard is improved

    B．there are comparable schools with different educational qualities

    C．students have different interests

    D．schools of all areas have sufficient budget for their development

3．According to the passage，the free market in secondary education              ．

    A．only provides consumers with more information

    B．is more competitive than the higher education market

    C．means there will be more Intensive competition than in colleges

    D．is a real surprise se to Britain’s recent government

4．The author of the passage feels relieved that                 ．

    A．secondary schools have to market themselves

    B．most secondary schools have scarce resources of staff and money

    C．the research by Open University proves that most secondary schools are the best in its area

    D．schools needn’t prove that they are the best

5．What might be the author’s attitude towards competitions between nearby schools?

    A．The author Is in favor obvious kinds of competition．

    B．The author doesn't care about any competition and its result．

    C．The author is not certain of the effect of competitions．

    D．The author is against the competitions among the universities

Question: What is more astonishing than a 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck being driven down the street?

       Answer: A 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck exploding and raining blubber ( fat of whales ) all over the sidewalk

       That’s what happened in Taiwan recently , when a dead sperm whale being shipped to the Halobios Research Centre for an autopsy (尸体解剖) developed an extremely bad case of gas  and blew up before it reached its destination .

       The whale was found alive on a Taiwan beach last weekend, and died shortly after it was discovered. Since the 56-foot whale was the largest whale ever beached on Taiwan’s shores, scientists wanted to study it and perform an autopsy for educational purpose.

       Obviously, too much time passed between when the animal died and the time it was set to be moved to the autopsy location, because it had already started to go bad. When things rot, they give off gasses as a by-product. In the whale’s case, the gases were trapped in its belly. The pressure inside the rotting creature grew so much that it popped like an over-filled balloon. Unfortunately , it was on a truck in the middle of the city of Taiwan at the time — cars and shops lining the street were covered with whale bits and juices , much to their owners’ discouragement .

       According to news reports, traffic was tied up for hours while officials tried to clean up the streets.

       Newspaper editors worldwide were probably smiling to themselves , since they had a ready-made headline —several reports about the incident were titled “ There She Blows ! ” after the famous line from the book Moby Dick

1．The purpose of the question at the beginning of this news report is to __________.

       A．explain the reason                                       B．sell newspapers

C．attract readers                                            D．give an immediate answer

2．The whale’s explosion is the result of _________.

       A．pressure from gases building up in the creature as it began to rot

B．the long transport of the creature from the beach to the center

C．the extremely busy traffic in the streets it passed by

D．the quick process of rotting of the animal

3．What is the correct order of the incidents?

       a．The whale was se o a flatbed truck               b．The whale was discovered

c．The whale exploded                                     d．The whale died

A．b ; c ; a ; d              B．d ; c ; b ; a             

C．b ; d ; a ; c             D．d ; b ; a ; c

4．What do we know from the last paragraph?

       A．Some newspaper editors were laughed at

B．Moby Dick is he name of a woman writer

C．All the newspapers reported the story under the same title

D．The title “ There She Blows ! ” is taken from the book Moby Dick .

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership - a shop selling cars - was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

"Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

"Thank you" - two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.

The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City_________.

A. to visit a friend

B. to see his parents

C. to pay at the cash register

D. to have more gas for his car

The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “______”.

A. turned off   B. moved off   C. put up   D. set up

What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.

B. The couple sent him a business card.

C. The couple offered to help him.    

D. He called his friend for help.

The battery of the author’s car was dead because_______.

A. something went wrong with the lights

B. the meeting lasted a whole day

C. he forgot to turn off the lights

D. he drove too long a distance

By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show______.

A. how to write a thank-you letter

B. how to deal with car problems

C. the kind-heartedness of older people

D. the importance of expressing thanks