Do you know what American students have to do in their schools? In America, at the beginning of the term, students must choose their courses and teachers first. While in China students usually have no chances to choose their courses and teachers.

Choosing is very important for your grades in America. So at the first term, don’t choose too many courses, or you’ll feel very nervous and it may influence your study. Then you have to ask for some teaching plans. There is some information about subjects, time arranging, marks and textbooks. At the same time, you must choose the teachers. Different teachers have different teaching methods. If the teacher is called “killer” by the last grade, many students will give up choosing him. Because this kind of teacher will leave too much homework, too many exams and give too low grades.

There is another thing after you choose the courses and the teachers. How to buy textbooks makes each student feel hard. The textbooks in America are very expensive. Each copy is about $30～$50. In order to save money, many students buy some used textbooks, and some students usually borrow textbooks from the school library. You must get enough ready before classes. In class, discussing is very important. The teacher encourages you to raise questions or show your own opinions. They don’t usually ask you to sit well. Instead they allow you to sit or stand everywhere you like. They don’t give you much homework to do. You can learn some knowledge and do exercises by yourself.

请根据短文内容回答问题。

1.When must American students choose their courses and teachers?

_______________________________________________________

2.Why do American students choose teachers?

_______________________________________________________

3.How can they get the textbooks?

______________________________________________________

4.What is important in class?

________________________________________________________

5.What do you think of American school life? (请自拟一句话作答)

________________________________________________________

 

 

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填写表格 (每空限填一词)。

How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?

Shyness means feeling nervous or frightened when you’re around other people. Experts (专家) have found that more than 80 percent of middle school students feel afraid to be the centre of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences.

It’s OK if it takes you a while to feel yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It’s just a case of how much.

Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won’t go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay the bill (账单). Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.

If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are quieter and cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.

You see, being shy isn’t all bad. But remember not to let good chances pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practise your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shyness

Meaning	●To feel 1.   ▲     or frightened
Causes	●To be the2.   ▲     of attention ●To be born shy ●To have3.    ▲     experiences
Effects	4.    ▲     effects	●To have red 5.   ▲      ●To talk in 6.   ▲     sentences ●To be 7.    ▲     of meeting new people
Good effects	●To be quieter and 8.   ▲    ●To be good at 9.   ▲     with others
Advice	●To take hold of (抓住) good 10.   ▲

 

 

When Oakland High School in California moved into a new building, the students and teachers noticed a strong smell. Then almost half of the students began to have a headache and a cough. Experts (专家) came to find the cause of the sickness. Finally, they discovered that the air in the building was not safe to breathe. They were surprised to find out that the desks and chairs in the school library caused the trouble. These desks and chairs were made of particleboards(合成板). This kind of board is cheap. It is made of very small pieces of wood held together with a chemical (化学物质). This is just one example of a modern problem that is most common in cities—indoor air pollution(污染).
People have worried about air pollution for many years, and the government has spent lots of money trying to clean up the air of big cities. But now we found that we are still breathing unhealthy air. A study shows: Indoor air pollution is almost two to five time(倍) worse than outside pollution. So remember to open the windows and don’t stay too long in modern buildings with windows closed.
【小题1】Many students and teachers _________ after they moved into the new building.
A were very happy and excited   B. didn’t feel well    C. felt tired because of hard work
【小题2】The experts came to Oakland High School for _________.
A staying with the sick students and teachers  
B. taking away the desks and chairs
C. finding the cause of the illness
【小题3】 Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
A. The indoor air pollution is common in cities.
B. We needn’t worry about the outside pollution.
C. The air in this school library was not safe to breathe.
【小题4】A study shows that indoor air pollution is _________.
A even worse than the outside pollution   B. not so bad as outside pollution
C. the only problem to worry about
【小题5】 What’s the main idea of the passage?
A Never move into a new building   B. We shouldn’t buy cheap desks and chairs
C. The indoor air pollution is a big and common problem.

In 1638, John Harvard donated some money and about four hundred books to a new university. This was the beginning of the library at Harvard University. The gift was so important that the university was named for John Harvard.
Thomas Bray began the first free lending library in the late 1600s. He set up more than 30 or these libraries in the American colonies. However, the idea for this kind of free library ended when Bray died in 1730. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and some friends started the first subscription library in the United States. In a subscription library people pay money to become members, but they may borrow the books without paying again.
In the United States, every child had a free education. This idea soon led to free libraries. One of the first libraries that used tax money to buy books was a library in Peterborough, New Hampshire. This library was set up in 1833.
【小题1】The main idea of paragraph 2 is________.

A． Franklin started the first subscription library

B． in a subscription library people pay money to become members

C． Bray and Franklin were important in the history of public libraries

D． Bray died in 1730 and Franklin died in 1833

【小题2】The underlined word “borrow” means_______.

A．read and write with no help from another person

B．use for a short time and then return

C．like very much

D．lend

【小题3】The reading does not say it, but we can guess that_______.

A．there were free schools in the United States before there were free libraries

B．free schools and free libraries in the United States began at about the same time

C．the library in New Hampshire also had a free school in it

D．there were free libraries in the United States before there were free schools

【小题4】Harvard University began_______.

A．in 1731

B．in 1730

C．in 1833

D．in 1638

【小题5】At the library that Franklin started, ________.

A．children could use books for no money at all

B．people paid a little money in the beginning but none after that

C．people paid a lot of money in the beginning but none after that

D．both A and B

This kind of tea tastes _______ and sells _______.

  A. good; good    B. good; well      C. well; well     D. well; good