The high school diploma (文凭) is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of students graduate (毕业) from school without the math and reading skills that colleges and companies require, according to a new report.

The high school graduation exams that most states (州) require students to pass before they graduate remain far too easy. Most of the exams generally test eighth-or ninth-grade level work.

Today, even high school graduates who are going to have blue-collar (蓝领) jobs need to study the math, research and writing courses. But in high school, only students who are going to college are now required to take these courses.

“If you want a good job with a good pay, it’s a high-skill job,” said Michael Cohen, a leading member of the America Diploma Project.

The project suggests that all graduates master a wide range (范围) of skills. “A high school diploma should mean something to a company and university,” said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who is Achieve’s co-chairman.

In Taft’s state, about 30% students who go directly to college from high school have to take remedial classes of English or math, he said. It’s easy to see that the present high-school graduating standards are not preparing students for college education.

And with high-skilled jobs increasingly headed overseas to places like India and Ireland, states need to act, he said.

To prove why math and reading skills matter, the report includes real-life examples of problems students meet in college and that workers must solve each day on the job. ?

Some states are taking actions to upgrade the high school diploma. In Texas, all high school students, starting with the 2008 graduating class, will have to take the college-prep curriculum (大学预备课程) - unless a parent agrees to an easier course load. Other states are planning similar moves.

The report includes examples of reading and math skills that high-school students should have. Project leaders say they hope parents will use those examples to judge (评定) the coursework at their kids’ high schools.

1.Why is the high school diploma losing its value quickly?

A．Because the number of high school students is growing fast.

B．Because high school students fail to reach the standards.

C．Because the graduation tests are easier than it should be.

D．Because difficult courses are not required in high schools.

2.Remedial classes in Paragraph 6 mean classes____.

A．for good learners to study quickly and better

B．for slower learners weak in the subject

C．for learners to be taught one by one

D．for learners to reach a higher standard

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Colleges require higher math and reading skills than companies.

B．It is easier for companies to find high-skilled workers in India.

C．Math and reading skills help little for workers to solve daily problems.

D．Parents ask high schools to offer college-prep curriculum in Texas.

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A．High School Diploma Means Little

B．Give Students More High-skill Jobs

C．Math and Reading Skills Really Matter

D．Judge Coursework at High Schools

Good writing starts with good ideas. If you write about things that you care about, you will write better. If you write about things that you don’t care about, you’ll be bored and your paper will not have many good ideas.
Once you have a good idea, the next step is organization (组织). Think through your paper before you start. Write an outline. You need to know what your main points are before you start your first paragraph. Use 2-4 main points, one paragraph each.
In your central paragraphs, be concise and specific（简洁具体）. Give examples with details, not just general ideas. If you can say the same thing with fewer words, do it! Don’t use big words.
When you finish writing, look at your outline again. Did you really follow it or did it change as you wrote? Many times you find different ideas as you write. Look at your central paragraphs. What are their main ideas now? Are theses ideas in the introduction? I often write the introduction again to fit the paper after I finish writing.
【小题1】What is the 1^st step for a good writing?

A boy and his father went walking in the mountains. Suddenly the boy fell, hurt himself, and cried, “AAAhhhhhhhh!!!” To his surprise, he heard the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain, “AAAhhhhhhhh!!!” Then the boy shouted, “Who are you?” He received the answer, “Who are you?” He got angry at the answer, so she shouted, “Foolish!” He received the answer, “Foolish!”

He looked at his father and asked, “What’s going on?” The father smiled and said, “My son, listen,” And then he shouted to mountain, “I love you!” The voice answered, “I love you!” Again the man cried, “You are the best!” The voice answered, “You are the best!”

The boy was surprised, but did not understand. Then the father explained (解释), “People call this Echo, but really this is life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is just a reflection(反映)of what we have done. If you want more love in the world, have more love in your heart. If you want to be successful, work hard,. This can be used in everything in life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it.”

1.At first the boy cried because _______.

A. he hurt himself and felt bad

B. he wanted to give himself a surprise

C. he felt it was so quiet in the mountain

D. he hoped his father would help him

2.When the boy heard the voice repeating, he thought________.

A. it was foolish to hear others’ voice?????

B. someone else in the mountain liked his voice

C. there were many other people in the mountain?

D. he was laughed at by someone else in the mountain

3.The father shouted to the mountain to ________.

A. find out who was repeating his voice?

B. have fun with other people in the mountain

C. show more examples to his son before giving him the answer

D. let his son know whose voice was louder

4. The word “Echo” means__________.

A. life itself???????????? B. repeating voice??

C. love in the world?????? D. everything in life

5.From the story, we know _________.

A. the boy didn’t like others’ voice at all??

B. the father had his own way to teach his son

C. it is not polite to repeat others’ voice???

D. the boy and his father were rather tired

A boy and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly the boy fell，hurt himself，and cried，"AAAhhhhhhhh！！！”  To his surprise，he heard the voice repeating（重复），somewhere in the mountain,“AAAhhhhhhhh!!!＂Then the boy shouted，“Who are you?” He received the answer，"Who are you?" He got angry at the answer，so he shouted，"Foolish！＂ He received the answer，"Foolish！”

He looked at his father and asked，“What’s going on?" The father smiled and said，"My son，listen.”And then he shouted to the mountain，"1 love you！”The voice answered，“I love you!”Again the man cried，"You are the best！”The voice answered，“You are the best！”

The boy was surprised, but did not understand. Then the father explained（解释），"People call this‘Echo'，but really this is Life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is just a reflection（反映）of what we have done. If you want more love in the world，have more love in your heart. If you want to be successful，work hard. This can be used in everything in life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it.”

1. At first the boy cried because _____ .

A. he hurt himself and felt bad

B. he wanted to give himself a surprise

C. he felt it was so quiet in the mountain

D. he hoped his father would help him

2.When the boy heard the voice repeating, he thought ______ .

A. it was foolish to hear others’ voice

B. someone else in the mountain liked his voice

C. there were many other people in the mountain

D. he was laughed at by someone else in the mountain

3. The father shouted to the mountain to ______ .

A. find out who was repeating his voice

B. have fun with other people in the mountain

C. show more examples to his son before giving him the answer

D. let his son know whose voice was louder

4. The word "Echo" means _______.

A. life itself    B. repeating voice    C. love in the world   D. everything in life

5. From the story，we know ______ .

A. the boy didn’t like others’ voice at all

B. the father had his own way to teach his son

C. it is not polite to repeat others’ voice

D. the boy and his father were rather tired

Good writing starts with good ideas. If you write about things that you care about, you will write better. If you write about things that you don’t care about, you’ll be bored and your paper will not have many good ideas.

Once you have a good idea, the next step is organization (组织). Think through your paper before you start. Write an outline. You need to know what your main points are before you start your first paragraph. Use 2-4 main points, one paragraph each.

In your central paragraphs, be concise and specific（简洁具体）. Give examples with details, not just general ideas. If you can say the same thing with fewer words, do it! Don’t use big words.

When you finish writing, look at your outline again. Did you really follow it or did it change as you wrote? Many times you find different ideas as you write. Look at your central paragraphs. What are their main ideas now? Are theses ideas in the introduction? I often write the introduction again to fit the paper after I finish writing.

1.What is the 1^st step for a good writing?

A.Think through your paper before you start.

B.Write a good 1^st paragraph.

C.Have a good idea.

D.Look for many examples.

2.What does the word “outline” mean in the 2^nd paragraph?

A. 外形              B. 提纲             C. 中心              D. 总结

3.What should you do in the central paragraph?

A. Don’t use big words.

B. Give examples with details.

C. Say the same thing with fewer words.

D. A, Band C.

4.What should you do after finishing writing?

A. Look at your outline again.

B. Check the mistakes.

C. Look at your central paragraph again.

D. Both A and C.