One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn’t or couldn’t sleep, I tried everything I could think of : a warm bottle, songs gentle rocking. Nothing would settle him down. Guessing that I would have a long night ahead of me, I brought a portable (便携式)TV into his room, figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill off the hours till dawn. To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right now, his little eyes focused brightly on the tube. Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then walked out of the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday.
My wife and I heard no more of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV himself. I found in my baby's a metaphor（启示）for the new generation. My wife and I had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit upon them. When we read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don't read , that they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watching TV.
After this experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion: “Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight it? Let them watch it all they want!
【小题1】
Father brought a TV set into his son's room____.     

A．to stop his son crying	B．to let him learn something
C．to make him frightened	D．to let his son spend a good night

【小题2】
To the couple’s surprise the boy ___after they brought a TV set into his room.

A．soon fell asleep	B．cried all that night
C．became quiet and silent	D．slept quite well that night

【小题3】
Form the last paragraph we know that the writer thinks it____.

A．terrible for children to watch so many TV programmes

B．useless for parents to blame their children

C．necessary for TV stations to improve their TV programmes

D．favorable for children to watch the programmes they like

 

An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.  

Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A. spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.  

Professor john Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures-which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.  

 “There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.   

University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in caters in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.  

A. recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.  

Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”

1.Professor John Beath’s lectures are             .  

A. given in a traditional way                 B. connected with the present situation

C. open to both students and their parents       D. warmly received by economics  

2.Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their         .  

A. greater stability     B. higher pay    C. fewer applications   D. better reputation  

3.in the opinion of most parents           .  

A. eccentrics should be the focus of school teaching

B. more students should be admitted to universities

C. the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened.  

D. children should solve financial problems themselves  

4.According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters        .  

A. wiser in money management

B. have access to better equipment

C. confide about their future careers

D. get jobs in Child Trust Funds  

5.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Universities have received more applications.  

B. Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students

C. college students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty

D. parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.   

 

Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls.
They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. “I’d have done it, “ insisted Kendall Turner. “It would have been heartbreaking for the village. “ Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box’s change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, “ We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”
Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25^th anniversary of the reign of King George V. Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop(背景) to millions of tourist photographs.
Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. “On average, maintaining them costs ￡800 a year per phone box-about ￡44 million annually,” said John Lumb, general manager for BT Payphones.
【小题1】Some red phone boxes in Britain have been used for ____.
a. selling flowers    b. cooking   c. reading  d. exhibiting art or poetry

A．a, b

B．c, d

C．a,b,c

D．b,c,d

【小题2】Why do the villagers want to keep the red phone boxes?

A．Because millions of people visit Britain to see the red phone boxes.

B．Because the local people could earn a lot of money from the red phone boxes.

C．Because the red phone boxes have already become a symbol of Britain.

D．Because the red phone boxes may be useful for some people in emergency.

【小题3】What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage?

A．Green

B．Red

C．Black

D．Yellow

【小题4】What is John Lumb’s attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes?

A．supportive

B．Opposed

C．Neutral

D．Indifferent.

One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn’t or couldn’t sleep, I tried everything I could think of : a warm bottle, songs gentle rocking. Nothing would settle him. Guessing that I had a long night ahead of me, I brought a portable TV into his room, figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill of the hours till dawn. To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right down, his little eyes focused brightly on the tube. Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoes out of the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi’s forty-fifth birthday.
My wife and I heard none of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV himself.
I found in my baby’s behavior a symbol of the new generation. My wife and I had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit upon them. When we read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don’t read and they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion: “Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight about it? Let them watch it all they want!
【小题1】Why did the author bring a TV set into his son’s room?

A．To make his son keep quiet.

B．To spend the night by watching TV programs.

C．In order not to let his son feel lonely.

D．To make his son go to sleep as soon as possible.

【小题2】The baby’s reaction to the TV program was _______ .

A．unexpected

B．encouraging

C．exciting

D．nervous

【小题3】From this passage we know that the author is           .

A．a doctor

B．a reporter

C．an editor

D．a teacher

【小题4】Accordingg to the passage, which is true of the school children?

A．They prefer reading to watching TV.

B．They like watching TV after school.

C．They would rather watch TV than read books.

D．They like their teachers who teach them reading.

My name is Liana Wexler. I’m 12 years old, and I am the founder of “Kids for Kerry”. “Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support John Kerry, want to help their futures, and get active in politics.  

When my parents went to see Teresa Heinz Kerry speak, they told me that she was amazing! And they thought John Kerry would make a great President. I decided to find out more about John Kerry. I talk about what I learned by using my ABCs. “A” is America. John Kerry is a hero to America, and he will help our futures. He is a great and positive role model. “B” is Better education. John Kerry wants to make class sizes smaller, so that children get the best part out of learning. He wants to help teachers because being a teacher is educating children, and letting them out into the world to do the good things. “C” is Compassion（怜悯;同情） towards children. John Kerry wants to make sure that health care is not a privilege, but it is something that we can all afford. This summer, I was supposed to go to my favorite camp But instead, I decided to go to John Kerry’s office every day. Kids can really help! 

On KidsforKerry.org, we have an interactive presidential quiz. There are 270 questions for the electoral votes John Kerry will win. Plus, 25 questions to make up for Florida from the last election. Out next goal is to have a petition (请求) for “National No Name—Calling Day”, a day that the candidates don’t say anything negative about one another. When our Vice President had a disagreement with a Democratic Senator, he used a REALLY BAD word. If I said that—if I said that word, I would be put in a “time-out (暂停休息)”. I think he should be put in a time-out.

What would be the best title for this passage?

A. John Kerry                B. A letter to John Kerry

C. Kids for Kerry              D. John Kerry: Our to-be President

According to the passage we know that____.

A. only children in America want John Kerry to be their next President

B. John Kerry cares much for education but takes little compassion on teachers

C. Liana wishes John Kerry to be the President of America

D. Liana thinks John Kerry should be put in a time-out

Liana Wexler considers John Kerry to be____.

A. a good                      B. a hero to America

C. a confident man             D. a persuasive speaker

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. “Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support whoever wins the presidential election.

B. Liana Wexler is the founder of “Kids for Kerry”

C. “Kids for Kerry” has an interactive presidential quiz on-line.

D. Education and health care are two things-with which American citizens concern themselves most.