Mike Maietta was eating lunch when he got a text message from his mom.

“Notre Dame,” it said. “Big envelope!”

Mike, a senior at a Californian high school, shouted with joy. The big envelope meant that the excellent university in Indiana had offered him a place in its Class of 2013. But the $51,300 annual fee is a big trouble. So Mike and his parents are considering offers from several other colleges and are figuring out the costs of tuition, housing and holiday trips home.

This year, money is the driving factor(因素) for a growing number of high school seniors, who have to decide what colleges to attend this fall. Less jobs and house prices have changed family spending.

“We’re excited that Mike got into eight great schools,” said Mike’s father, an engineer at Microsoft. “But if you consider going to school out of state, you’ve got to think about all of the other costs: moving, flying back and forth for the holidays. You’re looking at about $3,000 a year, just for travel.”

As families weigh their choices, some are going back to financial aid offices hoping help packages can be increased.

Rachel Brown was happy to get a thick envelope from New York University (NYU). Although she has always wanted to live in Manhattan, she is seriously considering the University of California San Diego (UCSD), because of the high cost in New York.

“The tuition for NYU is twice as much as UCSD,” said Rachel, 17. “My mom doesn’t want me to have a big debt when I graduate, and I don’t want that either. I’d have to take out a loan of $15,000. I’ll check and see if there’s any way that NYU can offer me any financial aid.”

More than 7.6 million American students have filled out the Free Application for Students Aid, 19.9 percent increase over last year.

This month the Federal Department of Education urged college financial aid officers to give more help to certain families. A record 30,428 students applied for 2,300 places at Stanford, partly because the university increased financial aid for families earning below $10,000.

1.Mike may give up Notre Dame because of ______.

A．travel fees

B．financial concerns

C．poor exam results

D．worries about living far away from home

2.The phrase “Big envelope” in paragraph 2 probably refers to“______”.

A．A text message                         B．A large gift package

C．An admission letter                      D．A scholarship letter

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．The number of American senior students applying for financial aid is increasing.

B．Rachel Brown has given up NYU because of its high tuition and big debts.

C．It is inevitably hard for college students to borrow money to cover costs.

D．An interest-free loan for students helps more students apply for Stanford.

4.The passage mainly focuses on ______

A．the calculation of different costs including tuition

B．the extremely hard financial situation in America

C．the excitement of students’ being able to enter ideal colleges

D．the financial crisis of families over college entrance

 

It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why．
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things． It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing． If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”． Look around you． With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning． Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb． When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success． Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded． Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer．
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake． Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again．
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem． Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate （分配） these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again． Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough．”
So go forth and make mistakes． And learn． And grow． And prosper（成功）．
【小题1】From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．

A．mistakes are unnecessary for development

B．we are afraid of trying new things

C．it’s common for people to make mistakes

D．mistakes are better than not trying

【小题2】According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is   ．

A．avoiding making the same mistakes

B．accepting the punishment willingly

C．taking consequences into account

D．trying things out one by one

【小题3】What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?

A．Never mind, I can always try again．

B．I’d better stay out of trouble．

C．Ok! Now I can learn something．

D．Look at this mess． Anyone would be upset．

Every hour spent in watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces life expectancy by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years.
The research claims that a sedentary(久坐的) lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers caused by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offers for unhealthy eating.
The academics conducting the study set out to calculate the overall risk to life expectancy from watching television. Their research involved more than 11,000 people over the age of 25.
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they concluded. "TV viewing time may be associated with a loss of life, which is similar to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity."
The researchers, from the University of Queensland, used information from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, together with population and death rate data.
But they said: "Although we used Australian data, the effects in other industrialized and developing countries are likely to be similar, considering the large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns." In the United Kingdom, the average amount of time spent watching TV is four hours a day, compared with five hours in the United States.
Earlier this year, a separate study suggested the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, or dying early, rises by as much as 20 percent after just two hours a day in front of the box.
England's Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies, said: "Physical activity offers huge benefits and these studies back what we already know - that a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks. We hope these studies will help more people realize that there are many ways to get exercise."
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that_______

A．whether you watch TV or not has nothing to do with how long you will live

B．if an adult watches TV for six hours every day, he will die five years earlier

C．physical inactivity and obesity won't shorten your life

D．a sedentary lifestyle offers huge benefits.

【小题2】The word "it" in the second paragraph refers to

A．a sedentary lifestyle

B．eating

C．smoking

D．obesity

【小题3】What do we know from the last three paragraphs?

A．People in the United Kingdom watch TV longer than those in the United States.

B．That a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks isn't supported by other studies.

C．Watching TV for two hours a day will increase the risk of illnesses or dying early by 20%.

D．It is through these studies that we know a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks.

【小题4】The passage is intended to _______.

A．inform the readers of a research on watching TV

B．warn the readers of the harm of watching TV and hope they do sports

C．tell the readers watching TV is also a good way to relax

D．tell the readers large amounts of people often watch TV

Ever tried taking smart drugs to perform better in exams? They certainly work. Before last summer's exam, a few of my mates, merely out of curiosity, took a considerable amount of Modafinil, a drug normally used for narcolepsy(嗜眠发作症). Guess what? While I was feeling sleepy, bored by revision, my mates were more focused.
Modafinil is a smart drug that gives a user a feeling of staying awake for hours. It also sharpens the mind, improves memory and helps problem-solving.
But it does more than just keeping you awake. It disturbs your mental system, making you desperate to do what you are doing. You just don't want to do anything else but revise all the time non-stop.
A recent study discovers that healthy people use smart drugs, like Modafinil, to get down to and complete tasks they have been putting off, because these tasks seem more enjoyable when taking these drugs. This might sound like what a stressed student desires. However, the pills have a range of side-effects.
"At present no evidence shows that these drugs are safe in healthy people," as a medical expert puts it, "Ordering online, though easy, is a dangerous way to obtain drugs. You never know what you're actually purchasing. "
In my experience, Modafinil changes people's behaviour too. Over those weeks my friends became different people—in turn aggressive, cold. Even eating became "a waste of time" and so did conversation.
A BBC survey found that of those who had tried smart drugs before, 92% would do so again. My friends say they'd happily do so without considering the practice a form of cheating.
I admit I was curious—but not enough to try it. Seeing the strange behaviour of other users, I feel a little bit upset and scary. Modafinil may promise to change your grades, but it might also change the way you act. Don't say you haven't been warned!
【小题1】According to the author, his mates took Modafinil for the purpose of______.

A．escaping from reality	B．getting better exam results
C．curing their narcolepsy	D．leading an active life

【小题2】Taking the smart drug can lead to ______.

A．cheating in the exam	B．dropping out of school
C．youth crime(犯罪)	D．drug addiction(上瘾)

【小题3】What does the author think of his mates' taking the smart drugs?

A．Worrying.	B．Inspiring.
C．Acceptable.	D．Reasonable.

【小题4】Which statement about Modafinil is wrong?

A．Modafinil sharpens the mind and helps problem-solving.

B．Modafinil more than just keeps you awake.

C．Modafinil has a range of side effects.

D．Modafinil is safe in healthy people.

【小题5】Who are the target readers of this passage?

A．Teachers.

B．Doctors.

C．Scientists.

D．Students.

 Considering the time limits, we also provide CDs ________ our students may prefer to study at home.

A. so that          B. so long as              C. in case                            D. as if