Sushi is a kind of food made with a mixture of cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and rice. Although Sushi is most commonly considered to have its origin in Japan, it actually began in China during the 7^th Century.

At that time, any fish caught had to be preserved. Raw fish was cleaned and then pressed between layers of heavy salt. After a couple of months, the whole process was complete. Over time, a discovery was made that by rolling the fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar the fish was easily fermented (发酵) in a few days rather than months. The rice was then thrown away and the fish was eaten. However, with a food shortage, people began consuming the rice as well as the fish and thus, Sushi today as we know was born. However, in the 1800s, a famous chef by the name of Yohei created two styles of Sushi—one called Edo, and the second, Osaka, for two cities.

Sushi is usually consumed with hot green tea. Also, Gari is offered free and eaten between bites to create a better taste. Two kinds of sauce are usually available: one is soy sauce, which is poured on most kinds of Sushi; the other is a thick sweet sauce used on eel (鳗鱼).

Sushi has taken the world by storm and today is a multi-billion dollar industry. Its popularity continues to rise because people are looking for healthy food that is quick and easy to make. With such unbelievable popularity as well as the health benefits of eating Sushi, it is likely that this food will continue to be a part of everyday life for many more centuries to come.

54. Two kinds of Sushi, Edo and Osaka, were probably named after _______.

A. the chef’s name     B. their birthplaces  

C. the name of fish    D. some kinds of food

55. When people eat Sushi, Gari is used to _______.

A. keep Sushi last long        B. make green tea better

C. digest Sushi more quickly   D. make Sushi more delicious

56. Why do people like Sushi today?

A. It is cheap and delicious.          B. It is served with free Gari.

C. It is beneficial to people’s health.   D. It is easy to be kept for a long time.

57. What can be the best title for the text?

A. Delicious Sushi and Its Origin   B. How to Make Delicious Sushi

C. Yohei and Two Styles of Sushi   D. The Birthplace of Sushi—China

                         

Half a century ago, during the Sino-Japanese War, I was a student at National Southwest Associated University at Kunming in southern China, Lectures were often accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain on the tin roofs of the classrooms; that mud floors were full of holes; and wind blew through paneless windows. As for the library, it was a bare skeleton. A good reference book was used for years and journals usually arrived after a couple of years’ delay.

    But despite such hardship, I had the best of my student days in Kunming. Although we were short of research materials, we were uncompromising（坚定的）in our pursue of knowledge and truth. I spent six years at Southwest and obtained my first and second degrees in physics here. I still value those days fervently. In fact it was at Southwest that I first came across Reader’s Digest. To me, the magazine’s insistence on perfection both in style and accuracy—as well as its celebration of life even in the face of hardship—is similar to the values I learned at Southwest.

    Later, I went to the United States to study under Enrich Ferimi, the famous physicist who directed the world’s first nuclear chain reaction. One of the first things Ferimi emphasized to me was that physics shouldn’t be so overwhelming（压倒性的）that it is beyond the average man. Physics research, he said, should be connected with our daily lives and physicists should devote most of their efforts to solving practical problems. I couldn’t agree more. Indeed, I think this simple, close-to-life.

    Approach applies other attempts too. Reader’s Digest is highly informative, but it is easy to read, and easy to understand, never exaggerating or mystifying. This truthful, down-to earth quality is what I treasure now.

1.What is the author?

    A．A soldier      B．A teacher      C．An editor      D． A physicist

2. Which of the following is NOT true of the National Southwest Associated University?

    A．The mud floors of the classrooms were uneven.      B．Its classroom windows had no glass.

    C．The only thing its library had was a skeleton.

    D．It was short of research materials.

3. What was the first thing Ferimi emphasized to the author?

    A．Physics research should be related to daily lives.

    B．Physics should not be considered as the most important course.

    C.  Theoretical problems need solving first.

D．The results of physics research could be used in the national defense.

4. What does the author think of Reader’s Digest?

    A．It is far from perfect in style or accuracy.

    B．It devotes its efforts to solving practical problems.

    C．It gives much information.

    D．Its language is simple, but beautifully written.

 

Half a century ago, during the Sino-Japanese War, I was a student at National Southwest Associated University at Kunming in southern China, Lectures were often accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain on the tin roofs of the classrooms; that mud floors were full of holes; and wind blew through paneless windows. As for the library, it was a bare skeleton. A good reference book was used for years and journals usually arrived after a couple of years’ delay.
But despite such hardship, I had the best of my student days in Kunming. Although we were short of research materials, we were uncompromising（坚定的）in our pursue of knowledge and truth. I spent six years at Southwest and obtained my first and second degrees in physics here. I still value those days fervently. In fact it was at Southwest that I first came across Reader’s Digest. To me, the magazine’s insistence on perfection both in style and accuracy—as well as its celebration of life even in the face of hardship—is similar to the values I learned at Southwest.
Later, I went to the United States to study under Enrich Ferimi, the famous physicist who directed the world’s first nuclear chain reaction. One of the first things Ferimi emphasized to me was that physics shouldn’t be so overwhelming（压倒性的）that it is beyond the average man. Physics research, he said, should be connected with our daily lives and physicists should devote most of their efforts to solving practical problems. I couldn’t agree more. Indeed, I think this simple, close-to-life.
Approach applies other attempts too. Reader’s Digest is highly informative, but it is easy to read, and easy to understand, never exaggerating or mystifying. This truthful, down-to earth quality is what I treasure now.
【小题1】What is the author?

A．A soldier

B．A teacher

C．An editor

D．A physicist

【小题2】 Which of the following is NOT true of the National Southwest Associated University?

A．The mud floors of the classrooms were uneven.	B．Its classroom windows had no glass.
C．The only thing its library had was a skeleton.
D．It was short of research materials.

【小题3】 What was the first thing Ferimi emphasized to the author?

A．Physics research should be related to daily lives.

B．Physics should not be considered as the most important course.

C． Theoretical problems need solving first.

D．The results of physics research could be used in the national defense.

【小题4】 What does the author think of Reader’s Digest?

A．It is far from perfect in style or accuracy.

B．It devotes its efforts to solving practical problems.

C．It gives much information.

D．Its language is simple, but beautifully written.

But what is teacher quality? How can one measure it reliably?

An analysis is issued on a sample of data from a Texas school district. Experts argue convincingly that teacher effectiveness should be measured by students’ gains on standardized tests: Mr. Smith is probably a better teacher than Ms. Brown if his students consistently improve their test scores more than hers do.

Though this approach is appealing, there are tricky issues. For example, what if Ms. Brown teaches in a school where students score so high there is little room for improvement?

The authors try to correct for this problem, as well as other sorts of measurement issues, to generate a measurement of teacher effectiveness. The paper is primarily concerned with how this measure is related to other observable characteristics.

The first finding is that there is a large variation in teacher effectiveness: some teachers consistently have a larger impact on their students’ achievement than others.

Second, easily observable characteristics like having a master’s degree or a passing score on the teacher certification exam are not correlated关联 with teacher effectiveness.

Then what does matter? The most important single influence is experience: first-year teachers are much less effective than others. The second year is significantly better, and by the fourth year, most teachers hit their stride.

It is not entirely clear whether this experience effect is learning by doing (the more you teach, the more effective you become) or survival of the fittest (those who are not good at teaching tend to drop out early.)

From my reading of the paper, both effects appear important and there is no simple answer. The data do suggest, however, that teacher effectiveness is pretty clear by the end of the second year, so the information to make an informed decision is available at that time.

The authors also investigate the contentious 有争议的issue of racial matching of students and teachers. Here they find strong evidence that minority teachers tend to be more effective with minority students. Again, it is unclear whether this is because of a role model effect (students respond better to a teacher of their own race) or an empathy effect 移情效应(teachers empathize better with students of their own race) or something else entirely.

The authors also look at teacher mobility. There is some evidence that teachers who quit teaching or switch schools tend to be below average in effectiveness. This is consistent with the survival-of-the-fittest model.

1.The schoolmaster could decide wisely whether to further employ the teacher by the end of the ______.

A. the first year          B. the second year             C. the third year        D. the fourth year

2.The phrase “hit their stride” most probably means “______”.

A. reach their normal level                                    B. become confident

C. walk with long steps                                            D. get bored

3.The author of this passage holds the view that ______.

A. teachers will perform better with time passing

B. ineffective teachers should leave earlier rather than later

C. teacher’s effectiveness is apparent after a couple of years

D. a master’s degree will improve teacher’s effectiveness

4.Why do black teachers tend to be more effective with black students?

A. Students fell secure, so they respond better.

B. Teachers sympathize with students of their own race.

C. There are entirely some other identified reasons.

D. The reasons are far from clear and definite.

5.Which of the following may serve as the best title?

A. The Quality of Teaching

B. Impact of Teacher Quality on Student Learning

C. Different Sorts of Measurement Issues

D. Survival-of-the-fittest Model vs. Learning-by-doing Model

 

Wendy Gallegos writes “concer” on the board. One of her students raises her hand.
“Ms. Gallegos, you should have written ‘conocer’ instead,” she said, referring to the Spanish verb for “to know.”
Gallegos looks at the board, smiles and quickly erases her mistake.
“You see, I have taught you so well, you pick up on my mistakes,” she said with a laugh.
To Gallegos, the scene in her classroom is typical（特有的）of the children she teaches. Gallegos teaches high school Spanish. She became part of their lives and families for three years. She is willing to help her children succeed. After a couple of years, Gallegos’ class becomes like home. Gallegos’ Spanish class is taught mostly in English in sixth grade. By the time the students are eighth-graders, they are speaking fewer words of English and more of Spanish during the 50-minute classes.
“My goal is to get my kids to say something in Spanish every day,” she said, “I want them to be able to talk to me. That’s why I help them, I praise them, I recognize them when they do good work. And we have fun. The day I stop having fun is the day I am going to consider a different job.’’
If a student needs help, Gallegos offers the student a “lifesaver,” which is help from a classmate. The lifesaver gets a piece of candy as a reward. As the students said: “Gallegos’ class is anything but boring.” It is because of Gallegos’ efforts and determination that she is the teacher who they think is most deserving of one of Collier County’s Golden Apple Awards.
“I don’t teach a subject, I teach kids. This is what I was born to do,” Gallegos said.
【小题1】The scene（情景）in Gallegos’ class is mentioned at the beginning of the passage to ____.

A．show Gallegos, as a teacher, makes a mistake

B．tell teachers can help students correct mistakes.

C．show her good teaching method in daily class

D．point out the students’ impolite behavior in class

【小题2】The underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 implies that_____.

A．having fun is Gallegos’ goal in hunting jobs.	B．Gallegos likes her job very much
C．Gallegos is considering changing her job	D．teaching Spanish will not last long

【小题3】What made Gallegos get Golden Apple Award?

A．Her interesting class.	B．Her determination in study.
C．Rewarding her students with prizes.	D．Her efforts made to teach kids.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．This is what I was born to do	B．Golden Apple Awards
C．Spanish classes with fun	D．How to get along with kids